Trump easing offshore drilling safety rules

PORT FOURCHON, La. -- The Trump administration is easing safety rules adopted after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history.

The Interior Department released a final rule revision Thursday in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, a hub of offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The rules pertain to procedures and inspections for offshore oil rigs.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said the administration is proposing elimination of "unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining safety and environmental protection offshore."

Eleven people died in April 2010 when the drilling rig exploded, ultimately releasing more than 3 million barrels of crude.

The Trump administration said the final rule makes small revisions, retaining 80 percent of the original provisions.