Thursday
Jun172010
Spill Response Plans Require Tight Review, Says MMS Official
Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 3:57PM
By Linn Grubbstrom
Talk Radio News Service
Bob Abbey, acting head of the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS), told lawmakers on Thursday that the federal government must deeply probe how prepared it and oil companies are to handle massive oil spills.
"There is no doubt that the spill response plans that have been previously submitted by the operators in the outer continental shelf will need to be reviewed and amended based upon the lessons that we now have learned," Abbey told members of a House Natural Resources Subcommittee.
Due to BP's inability to cap an oil spill that has flowed from one of its sunken rigs in the Gulf for nearly two months, the oil industry has been heavily criticized of late for not being prepared to combat a deepwater spill of large magnitude.
"The leases and the operators will be required to go back, revisit their spill response plans and come in with something that will give, not only those of us who are now working in the Mineral Management Service but, the American public a little more confidence about their abilities to control or contain a future spill," said Abbey.
Abbey also suggested the federal government allocate more inspectors to check for safety violations on the thousands of deep water rigs located in the Gulf.
Talk Radio News Service
Bob Abbey, acting head of the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS), told lawmakers on Thursday that the federal government must deeply probe how prepared it and oil companies are to handle massive oil spills.
"There is no doubt that the spill response plans that have been previously submitted by the operators in the outer continental shelf will need to be reviewed and amended based upon the lessons that we now have learned," Abbey told members of a House Natural Resources Subcommittee.
Due to BP's inability to cap an oil spill that has flowed from one of its sunken rigs in the Gulf for nearly two months, the oil industry has been heavily criticized of late for not being prepared to combat a deepwater spill of large magnitude.
"The leases and the operators will be required to go back, revisit their spill response plans and come in with something that will give, not only those of us who are now working in the Mineral Management Service but, the American public a little more confidence about their abilities to control or contain a future spill," said Abbey.
Abbey also suggested the federal government allocate more inspectors to check for safety violations on the thousands of deep water rigs located in the Gulf.
Podesta Claims Gulf Coast Spill Could Be Oil's Final Nail In the Coffin
John Podesta, the head of the think tank Center for American Progress, said Tuesday that the disastrous oil spill off the Gulf Coast could be the catalyst to finally move the U.S. away from oil.
"It's our hope that 2010 will be remembered as the year the U.S. began to turn away from oil in a meaningful, serious way. We've been talking about it for probably 40 years now," said Podesta during a forum held by the National Italian American Foundation. "I think ... maybe 2010 will be that moment were we really do begin that long march towards cleaner sources of energy."
However, to be able to do that Podesta, who served as Chief of Staff in the Clinton administration, wants President Barack Obama and Congress to take several immediate steps toward the development of renewable energy.
"I would like to see him go faster, I would like to see the Senate move forward this summer," said Podesta.