Commission to uncover cause of BP oil spill notes industry-wide friction and recklessness

(Eds: Corrected introduction paragraph)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – A commission that was appointed by President Obama to uncover the cause of America’s worst environmental disaster in history noted the friction between BP and the operator of the doomed Deepwater Horizon oil rig, the Guardian reported on Monday.

Offshore drilling is a lucrative market, and in such a market there are risks. There was conflict between oil companies, such as BP, and rig operators, such as Transocean, the commission was told on the opening day of public hearings. The Chief Executive of Diamond Offshore Drilling, Transocean’s main rival, said that there’s always a disagreements between safety and meeting schedules. “Our customers push us,” he said.

Bob Graham, formerly a Democratic Senator and is now co-chair of the commission, opened the hearings by promising to shed light on the oil industry’s safety practices as well as government oversight. “Was the Deepwater Horizon an oil rig that operated outside the normal standards of safety, or was it representative of other rigs?” he asked.

The commission has until December 15 to come up with a definitive account for the cause of the explosion as well as recommendations to prevent a repeat. Graham said that he would not be satisfied with a typical cookie-cutter explanation, “There is almost a cultural issue in the industry and in the government agencies responsible for monitoring the industry,” he said.

Certain officials have noted that while there were large amounts of recklessness in handling the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, Chevron and Exxon have had a similar history of safety violations, and Chevron had been fined over $1.2 million in the last ten years because of it. Cynthia Sarthou of the Gulf Restoration Network inferred that it is a reflection of the industry.

(Copyright 2010 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Related posts:

1. National Commission on BP to hold first public meetings on Monday and Tuesday
2. President Obama announces members of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling Commission
3. President Obama to travel to Louisiana Gulf Coast on Friday to review oil spill response
4. Louisana Governor Jindal stresses need for end to deepwater drilling moratorium
5. Rep. Waxman expressed dissapointment with BP’s internal investigation into oil spill