The Biden administration is taking heat from the energy industry after issuing voluntary recommendations for Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil and natural gas operators designed to protect an endangered whale species, and for reinstating safety rules enacted following the 2010 Macondo well blowout that killed 11 men.

The U.S. Department of Interior on Tuesday revived most of the offshore safety requirements finalized in 2016. Most of the rules then were rescinded by the Trump administration in 2019.

The updated final well control rule by Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is set to take effect in October. The rulemaking would “enhance worker safety and ensure offshore oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf are conducted with the utmost...