Page 18: of Marine News Magazine (April 2021)

17 19

Column

Offshore Jobs

US Jobs from US Offshore Energy:

A Goal 44 Years in the Making

By Aaron Smith, President & CEO, OMSA

I have a good friend named John Guste.

He and his wife grew up in the same neighborhood as my environment, the valuable ? sheries on the OCS, and the wife, they all went to college together, and now our kids are American taxpayers who own the OCS’ resources. friends. As a doctor, I’m sure he has little concern with the Protecting the U.S. taxpayer was particularly important messy, yet mundane, intricacies of offshore energy and mari- to Mr. Guste as he had watched the development of oil and time policy. You can imagine my surprise then when one gas in the Gulf of Mexico and saw an increasing number of night while I was reading the Congressional Record from foreign vessels and rigs, manned by foreign mariners work- 1977—I’m a blast at parties—to see John’s grandfather testi- ing off the coast of Louisiana. Instead of having Americans fying before the U.S. House of Representative’s Ad Hoc Se- watch foreign citizens bene? t from U.S. energy develop- lect Committee on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) issues. ment, he wanted Congress to ensure that U.S. workers,

Mr. Guste and the other panelist testifying that day were mariners, and shipyard personnel to be the bene? ciaries of urging Congress to recognize that the OCS contained energy development on land owned by the U.S. taxpayer. amazing potential for energy development but that this Due to the advocacy of Mr. Guste, and other organizations resource had to be developed responsibly. such as the Seafarers International Union, when Congress

Speci? cally, citing the increasing offshore oil and gas de- amended OCSLA in 1978, they created a national manning velopment experienced in the late 1970s, he urged Con- requirement, whereby only U.S. citizens may be employed gress to ensure offshore energy development protected the for crewing of vessels or rigs used for OCS operations. © ? yingrussian / Adobe Stock 18 | MN April 2021