The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was in the political spotlight in Washington yesterday as energy giant BP scrambled to contain crude spewing from its ruptured deep-water well.
US President Barack Obama will create a presidential commission to probe the disaster as the oil industry and its practices come under sharp scrutiny in the face of a looming economic and ecological calamity in the Gulf.
“Whether it’s a nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island or an oil blowout one mile [1.6km] deep, appointing an independent review panel is critical to reduce the risks of future accidents,” said Representative Edward Markey, chairman of a House of Representatives committee on global warming and energy independence.
The commission will investigate issues related to the spill and its aftermath, including rig safety and regulatory regimes at the local, state and federal levels.
The US government’s oversight role, environmental protections and the “structure and functions” of the Minerals Management Service, the Department of the Interior agency that has been heavily criticized for regulatory lapses, also will be on the panel’s agenda.
With a shakeup of the agency imminent, Chris Oynes, the top official overseeing its offshore oil and gas drilling, announced he would retire at the end of the month.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was due to face questions from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday about the agency’s failings on issues surrounding the oil spill and how the department will be reformed.
A Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the oil spill was also due to question BP America president Lamar McKay and Steven Newman, president of Transocean, which owned the rig that exploded and was working on behalf of BP PLC.
London-based BP said its latest “quick fix” — a 1.6 km-long siphon tube deployed by undersea robots down to the leaking well — was capturing about a fifth of the oil leaking from the ruptured well. Officials cautioned that the tube is helping contain the oil, but will not stop the flow.
“I do feel that we have, for the first time, turned the corner in this challenge,” BP chief executive Tony Hayward said in Florida.
Battling to salvage its reputation, BP said on Monday it was providing grants to Gulf coast states to help them promote tourism, one of the region’s key industries.
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