"Offshore Drilling: BOEM Meeting Format Draws Fresh Criticism in D.C."

"Supporters and opponents of the Interior Department's draft five-year plan for offshore energy development yesterday filtered into a hotel meeting room in the northeast quadrant of the nation's capital.

They were greeted by dozens of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management staffers standing beside posters and armed with handouts loaded with information about the proposal to open up more than 90 percent of federal waters to offshore drilling.

The format, first used during the Obama administration, has frustrated plan critics who had hoped to share their grievances in front of a larger audience — rather than in one-on-one conversations with government employees (Greenwire, Feb. 14).

BOEM acting Director Walter Cruickshank yesterday defended the "open house" setup."

Pamela King reports for EnergyWire February 23, 2018.