G/TBT/N/USA/1367  
 
17 May 2018  
(18-2937) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: UNITED STATES OF AME RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), 
Department of Interior [1390]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:  Please submit 
comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [  ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Blowout 
preventer systems  
Environmental protection  (ICS 13.020), Extraction and processing of petroleum and 
natural gas (ICS 75.020), Equipment for petroleum and natural gas industries 
(ICS 75.180), Petroleum products and natural gas handling equipment (ICS 75.200).  
5. Title, number of pages and language (s) of the notified document: Oil and Gas and 
Sulfur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf —Blowout Preventer Systems and Well 
Control Revisions (35 page(s), in English)   
6. Description of content: The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is 
proposing to revise existing regulations for well control and blowout preventer systems. 
This proposed rule would revise requirements for well design, well control, casing, 
cementing, real -time monitoring (RTM), and subsea containment. These revi sions modify 
regulations pertaining to offshore oil and gas drilling, completions, workovers, and 
decommissioning in accordance with Executive and Secretary of the Interior's Orders to 
ensure safety and environmental protection, while correcting errors and  reducing certain 
unnecessary regulatory burdens imposed under the existing regulations. Accordingly, after 
thoroughly reexamining the original Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control final rule 
(WCR), experiences from the implementation process, and BS EE policy, BSEE proposes to 
amend, revise, or remove current regulatory provisions that create unnecessary burdens 
on stakeholders while ensuring safety and environmental protection. The proposed 
regulations would also address various issues and errors tha t were identified during the 
implementation of the recent rulemaking on these issues.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: Protection of human health or safety; Protection of the environment  G/TBT/N/USA/1367  
 
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  8. Relevant do cuments:  83 Federal Register (FR) 22128, 11 May 2018; Title 30 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 250.  Will appear in the Federal Register when adopted . 
Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf —Blowout Preventer 
Systems and Well Control, Final Rule published 29 April 2016:  
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2016-04-29/html/2016 -08921.htm  
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2016-04-29/pdf/2016 -08921.pdf   
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments: 10 July 2018  
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [  ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
https://m embers.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/TBT/USA/18_2494_00_e.pdf