With more than 60-years operating in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil and natural gas industry has a strong safety record, drilling more than 42,000 wells. Thirty percent of U.S. oil production and 13 percent of natural gas production comes from the Gulf, and these resources are a vital part of our energy security.

Moving forward, our industry can do more--and most important--it can develop the U.S. oil and natural gas resources our nation requires safely and reliably.

Last week, after extensive review and development, API announced the creation of an industry-wide Center for Offshore Safety. The Center will promote the highest level of safety for offshore operations, drawing on lessons learned to accommodate unique industry challenges, and relying on independent auditing and review by third-pa... more »

Editors note: The following letter to the editor from API President and CEO, Jack Gerard appeared in the New York Times on January 31, 2011.

The good news is that "business as usual" for the United States oil and natural gas industry means that we are building on nearly a century of commitment to safe and reliable operations. In the nine months since the tragic accident in the Gulf of Mexico, we've been at work carrying out many of the recommendations now finding their way into reports.

We have produced new guidance on well cementing, begun a new standard on deepwater well construction, held workshops on carrying out a comprehensive safety management system, nearly completed work on state-of-the-art well containment systems, and initiated business planning for a new, independently audited... more »

API executive vice president Marty Durbin had a good op/ed in the Houston Chronicle over the weekend. After looking at the oil industry's significant safety enhances since the tragic Macondo well accident last spring, Durbin looks forward:

"...The moratorium on deep-water drilling technically ended last October. Yet not a single deep-water drilling permit has been issued since. Some deep-water rigs are leaving the Gulf. We've been told by the Interior Department that permitting may never get back to the levels before the accident. We've also learned that 2011 may see no new offshore leasing, and the department is scaling back its next five-year offshore leasing plan.

Thousands of jobs have disappeared already. Revenue and energy production will be increasingly affected. The Energy Depar... more »

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling released its findings last week and one portion is getting a large amount of attention:

"The United States has the highest reported rate of fatalities in offshore oil and gas drilling among its international peers, but it has the lowest reporting of injuries. This striking contrast suggests a significant underreporting of injuries in the US and highlights the need for better data collection to ensure needed attention to worker safety."

While every fatality is a tragedy, the Commission is incorrect here in their use of statistics, as our Fact Sheet explains:

"Historically, the U.S. government has attempted to estimate Occupational Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities using survey sampling and estimation me... more »

Oil prices on the global marketplace rose by $1.86 cents a barrel, or more than 2 percent, yesterday after the presidential oil spill commission recommended more government action to improve safety in the Gulf of Mexico. According to published reports, the commission's conclusions raised fears that the government might slow oil production from its already depressed levels.

Other factors also could have had an impact on the price yesterday. Foul weather along the East Coast, the closure of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and the government's latest crude oil demand and price predictions could have added to the upward pressure on the price, which closed at $91.11 yesterday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

By and large, the fundamentals of supply and demand are the most important influences i... more »