Oil rig owners now required to report time needed for hurricane evacuation

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Oil rigs are now required to send progress reports of how shutdowns are going as tropical storms approach the Gulf of Mexico.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, a unit of the Interior Department, rolled out the new requirement for owners to report the time needed to evacuate ahead of a storm, www.nola.com is reporting.

Nola.com says the new rules follow near misses during recent hurricane seasons.