In 1975, regulations impacting the design, fabrication, installation, and maintenance of offshore platforms are a reality. These regulations affect platform operations in almost all offshore areas of the world. Only the degree of regulation differs from one area to another. Rapid growth of regulatory acts provides the oil industry with two opportunities. First, the industry can make available engineering technology that will help to assure sound regulations. Next, the industry can continue to operate in a prudent fashion with self regulation to help insure against accidents that might cause precipitous action leading to bad regulations. Sound regulations will be both realistic and fair. They will provide an adequate level of safety and protection of the environment; they will also avoid undue hardships on the industry that might preclude economic development of many offshore reserves. Development of good regulations requires use of the best technology and engineering judgment. Much of this expertise resides in the very companies that will be regulated. It is this situation that provides to the industry the opportunity to make necessary technology for sound regulations available to appropriate agencies. Regulations should be compiled with the sole objective of' protecting the public interest Unfavorable regulations will result when other objectives are added to this one. For example, regulations that are nationalistic favoring companies ill the host country will lead to waste and inefficiency. Regulations should provide for a minimum standard that gives an adequate level of safety and protection of the environment. They should act as a foundation on which to build--not as a detailed blueprint. Companies should always be free to utilize technology that may lie outside the basis for the specific regulations in order to meet their individual objectives and in order to provide for the most efficient development of offshore oil. It has been our experience to date that regulations enacted in both the U.K. and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea are sound and fair. These regulations have not resulted in undue hinderance in getting the job done. The reason for this is that the regulations have been prepared after consultation with those knowledgeable in the field both in the oil industry and in other offshore-related fields. We hope that this procedure will be continued.