The naming of Charlie Williams as the first executive director of the new Center for Offshore Safety marks an important milestone in America's efforts to safely and responsibly develop its vast offshore energy resources.

Williams leads the center after 40 years with Shell, where most recently he was the company's chief scientist for well engineering and production technology. His work included developing high-pressure, high-temperature wells and specializing in drilling and completion equipment for extreme environments, such as deepwater exploration and development. Williams was introduced Wednesday:

"We have assembled the best and the brightest minds to help ensure we develop America's vast resources in the safest manner possible. Our top priority is to develop practices and prog... more »

With the price of crude oil driving the cost of gasoline up, Americans may think little can be done about prices at the pump. Not so. A renewed focus on tapping American sources of oil would send an important message to the global market and, long-term, will help with demand pressures forcing crude prices higher.

That's a key takeaway from API President and CEO Jack Gerard's "Newsmakers" conversation with reporters on C-SPAN. "The message the Congress needs to send the marketplace right now is that help is on the way," Gerard said of new pro-exploration legislation now under consideration. The interview with reporters Dina Cappiello of the Associated Press and Jim Snyder of Bloomberg News aired Sunday. Take a look:

Highlights:

• Gasoline prices are tied to the price of crude oil, whi... more »

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the Macondo oil well spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it is important that we remember the 11 workers who died in that accident, their families and the communities along the Gulf coast that were most affected by this incident. They remind us that, in our efforts to continuously improve safety in our operations, there can be no let-up. And just as we should not lose sight of what happened that day, we should not minimize our industry's unprecedented response to the accident. And we should remain mindful of our industry's strong safety record, as exemplified by the fact that, before the spill, more than 42,000 offshore wells were drilled safely in the Gulf of Mexico over a span of 60 years.

Our commitment to safety has been the guiding force of our operatio... more »

It looks like a child's toy gyroscope on steroids, and it has the technology necessary to stop the flow from a well blowout on the ocean floor. It's the capping stack developed and built by a consortium of oil companies in response to the unprecedented Deepwater Horizon disaster that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico a year ago. The oil spill containment device is 30-feet tall and weighs 100 tons. In the event of an undersea blowout, it would be sent to the nearest port, transported to the well site, and lowered to either kill the well or funnel escaping oil to ships. Although it might never be needed, it is standing by and capable of capturing 60,000 barrels of oil per day from wells up to 8,000 feet below sea level. (Rigzone) Marty Massey, chief executive officer of Marine Well Containment... more »

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 »