WASHINGTON - The prestigious National Research Council and the National Academy of Engineering today released their report on the BP oil spill, reinforcing many of the findings from previous governmental and independent reports on the 2010 disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The new report included a harsh assessment of the state of safety and management within the oil and gas industry, including a finding that "the complex interaction of all of the corporations and the government agencies was not managed at a systematic level to anticipate the possible safety shortfalls that ultimately led to the well blowout."
Following the release of this new analysis, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and the leading force for oversight and safety of the oil and gas industry following the BP spill, reiterated his demand that the CEOs of the companies involved in the BP spill testify before the Natural Resources Committee.
In November, the CEOs of BP, Halliburton, Transocean and Cameron refused to testify before the committee following a request by Rep. Markey and other committee Democrats to discuss the results of the U.S. government's Joint Investigative Team report on the spill. Republicans on the committee all voted against a motion offered by Rep. Markey to subpoena the CEOs to testify.
"How many reports must be released that question the safety of offshore drilling before House Republicans allow Congress to question the heads of the companies responsible for our nation's worst environmental disaster?" asked Rep. Markey. "Congressional Republicans have the oil industry in a witness protection program, and are keeping concerns about offshore drilling safety hidden from the American people."
