The National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) hopes to take over the regulation of 'well integrity', currently handled by state governments.
The health and safety regulator for offshore petroleum operations put itself forward for the role in its submission to the Commission of Inquiry into the Montara field oil spill.
NOPSA urged the Commission to consider legislative changes to create an adequate administrator for well integrity regulation, which would expand its role beyond OHS.
“The Authority is of the view that, if resourced and funded accordingly, it has the appropriate expertise and would be best placed to administer legislation relating to the integrity and safety of wells,” NOPSA chief Jane Cutler said in a statement earlier this month.
