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Deepwater Drilling Key Recommendations

In August 2010, the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling asked CEEP to conduct a series of studies that would help inform the commission’s investigations and recommendations. We were not asked to assess the technical causes of the spill; instead, the task was to help identify potential improvements in industry and government practices to reduce the risk of future catastrophic spills.

A team of experts in risk assessment, regulatory and cost–benefit analysis, government enforcement, and the oil industry formulated a series of findings and recommendations to improve the safety of future oil drilling operations.

Key Recommendations
1. Provide stronger incentives for industry to invest in safety, risk-reduction, and containment technologies.
2. Reform regulatory structures to adapt to deepwater drilling risks.
3. Strengthen the oversight capacity of institutions involved in offshore drilling.

Download more information about CEEP's key reccomendations (PDF)

How to use this chart: This chart shows how the articles in the 2011 Winter/Spring Resources—and the discussion papers that they are based on—correlate to the key reccomendations.  = Strengthen Incentives = Reform Regulatory Structures  = Strengthen Oversight

	In Winter/Spring 2011 Resources		RFF Features
	Incentives Instilling a Stronger Safety Culture: What are the Incentives? Joshua Linn and Nathan Richardson		Offshore Oversight: How Deep Is the Regulatory Ocean? Lucija Muehlenbachs, Mark A. Cohen, and Todd Gerarden
	Risk Assessment Managing the Risks of Deepwater Drilling Carolyn Kousky		Keeping Oil Extraction Safe: Incorporating Risk to Prevent Further Spills Roger M. Cooke, Heather L. Ross, and Adam Stern
	Risk Assessment Preventing Offshore Oil Spills Roger M. Cooke, Heather L. Ross and Adam Stern		Risk Management Practices: How Do You Determine When Safe is Safe Enough? Lynn Scarlett, Igor Linkov, and Carolyn Kousky
	Risk Management Managing Environmental, Health, and Safety Risks: A Closer Look at How Three Federal Agencies Respond Lynn Scarlett, Arthur Fraas, Richard Morgenstern, and Timothy Murphy		The Costs and Benefits of Deepwater Drilling Regulation Alan J. Krupnick, Sarah Campbell, Mark A. Cohen, and Ian W.H. Parry
	The Next Battle The Next Battle: Containing Future Major Oil Spills Mark A. Cohen, Molly K. Macauley, and Nathan Richardson		Deepwater Drilling: Promoting a “Safety Culture” Mark A. Cohen, Madeline Gottlieb, Joshua Linn, and Nathan Richardson
			Federal Agencies and Risk Management: A Comparative Assessment Lynn Scarlett, Arthur G. Fraas, Richard D. Morgenstern, and Timothy Murphy
			Containing the Next Deepwater Well Blowout: Preventing Future Spills from Becoming Catastrophic Robert Anderson, Mark A. Cohen, Molly K. Macauley, Nathan Richardson, and Adam Stern