Effective October 1, 2011, the United States Department of Interior replaced its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) with two new bureaus -- the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).  The Department of Interior recently announced the reorganization, which the Department described as the culmination of a process to replace the former Minerals Management Service (MMS) with three separate organizations -- BSEE, BOEM, and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), each with separate functions.

The former MMS had responsibility for overseeing the development of resources from the outer continental shelf, as well as the responsibility for regulating and overseeing the safety of such development.  About a month after the April 20, 2010 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar directed that MMS be split into BSEE, BOEM, and ONRR. 

The reorganization has proceeded in three steps.  The first step was simply the renaming of MMS, which became BOEMRE in June 2010.  Second, ONRR became a separate office within the Department of Interior on October 1, 2010, with responsibility of collecting revenue from mineral leases covering federal lands.  The third step is the split of BOEMRE into BSEE and BOEM. 

The new BSEE has the responsibility for overseeing safety and environmental regulations for oil and gas operations on the outer continental shelf.  Pending completion of a "national search" for a permanent director of BSEE, the new bureau will be led by Michael Bromwich, who lead BOEMRE up until its split.

BOEM will be led by Tommy Beaudreau, and will be responsible for managing the development of resources on the outer continental shelf.