BOEMRE gets management shuffle

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- BOEMRE Director Mike Bromwich will stay with the U.S. Interior Department as the interim head of a new safety bureau, the department said.

Bromwich oversaw restructuring of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation Enforcement. The agency will split in two, with Bromwich serving as the interim head of the new Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

Tommy Beaudreau, a top Bromwich adviser, will take the helm of the new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management when the agency splits Oct. 1.

"We have moved quickly and thoughtfully to create strong and separate agencies to manage offshore energy development, collect energy revenues and to oversee safety and environmental protection on the Outer Continental Shelf," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement.

Bromwich, at the BSEE, will oversee leases and environmental reviews for work in the OCS. Beaudreau would work on offshore inspections and safety regulations at the BOEM.

Salazar split the former Minerals Management Services into three departments because of conflicts of interest following last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Interior Department said it was looking for a permanent BSEE director while Bromwich serves in a temporary capacity. There was no suggestion of Bromwich's future once a replacement is found.