The recent reorganisation of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) may not be sufficient to ensure no conflicts of interest emerge in the regulation of the oil and gas industry, according to one policymaker.

Government Executive reports William Reilly, co-chairman of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, has warned that while the duties carried out by the MMS are now held by multiple departments, conflicts of interest may still arise.

Mr Reilly added that the new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, headed by Michael Bromwich, may be remain "overly susceptible to industry influence, certainly outgunned and possibly captured".

Responding, Mr Bromwich claimed that the new bureau would offer a more fulfilling working environment for inspectors, who have previously been denied adequate oil and gas training to inspect and regulate the offshore industry competently.

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon spill, there have also been calls for the offshore sector to invest more heavily in cooperative oil and gas training to ensure robust self-regulation and best practice compliance.

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