Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
The Department of the Interior announced today that Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Kevin M. Sligh will depart his position effective September 6, after serving in the role for the past two and a half years. Kathryn (Kati) E. Kovacs, who serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, will assume leadership of the bureau.
“Under Director Sligh’s leadership, the Interior Department has implemented successful response efforts and transitioned the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to reflect its diversified mission and expanded its regulatory focus to include not only conventional oil and gas development but also the growing offshore wind industry and emerging carbon sequestration opportunities. We are grateful for Kevin’s service to the Department and wish him well,” said Chief of Staff Rachael S. Taylor. “Kati’s commitment to the Department over the past several years has been steadfast, and I know we will be in steady hands as she steps in to lead BSEE and its dedicated workforce.”
A cornerstone of Director Sligh’s tenure was a focus on enhancing BSEE’s emergency response capabilities. This included the first capping stack exercises in a decade, critical high-stakes operations designed to demonstrate the bureau’s readiness to rapidly seal off uncontrolled well blowouts on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Additionally, BSEE implemented improvements at its National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility (Ohmsett), where new technologies and training are helping both domestic and international communities better plan for oil spills while advancing renewable energy science.
In her current role, Kovacs has had oversight over BSEE, focusing on their regulatory agenda. Thanks to both Kovacs’ and Sligh’s leadership during the Biden-Harris administration, significant progress was made in expanding oversight of renewable energy sources. This includes enacting a final rule transferring safety and environmental compliance responsibilities for offshore renewable energy from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to BSEE. The rule supports independent regulatory oversight in renewable energy programs.
In April, updated regulations for renewable energy development on the OCS were finalized by BSEE and BOEM. The final rule increases certainty while reducing costs associated with deploying offshore wind projects by modernizing regulations, streamlining processes, clarifying ambiguous provisions, and enhancing compliance requirements. Over 20 years, this rule is expected to result in cost savings of approximately $1.9 billion for the offshore wind industry.
Before joining the Department in April 2022, Kovacs was a professor of law at Rutgers University. Her public service career includes 12 years with the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Appellate Section; senior advisor roles; service with Baltimore City Law Department; clerking for former Chief Judge Robert C. Murphy; graduating from Yale University; and attending Georgetown University Law Center.
###
