The Obama administration has asked BP to disclose more information to the public about the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including measurements of the size of the spill and clean air.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the White House writes to BP to ask the post that information on its website, and to be more transparent in their responses.
The move came after BP has acknowledged that more oil than expected is gushing into the Gulf and a live video was posted on the web showing a huge cloud of oil spewing next to a tube carrying some of it to a tanker on the surface.
The video was posted on the website of the U.S. select committee on energy independence and global warming by Representative Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and other lawmakers pushed BP to make it available to the public.
"What you see is real-time images of a real world disaster unfolds 5,000 meters below the surface of the Gulf," said Markey. "These videos serve as a scalding, blistering indictment of BP inattention to the content and scope of the largest environmental disaster in the history of the United States."
In his speech, called Obama the oil spill an "environmental catastrophe" and said the country's best brains are using the best technology to try to stop the leak. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson is scheduled to visit the Gulf today to oversee her agency response and speech residents, according to EPA.
Obama said that the accident was caused by a breakdown of responsibility on the part of the London-based BP, the Geneva-based Transocean Ltd., the company that BP hired the rig, and Houston-based Halliburton Co.
"We will continue to hold these companies accountable" to stop the leak, repair the damage and reimburse the financial losses, he said.
Obama also said that the federal government should be held responsible.
"If the law on our books are inadequate to prevent such emissions or if we do not enforce these laws, I would like to know," he said. "I want to know what worked and what does not work in our response to the disaster and how monitoring of oil and gas industry collapsed. "
Inspections Ordered
Obama has already announced plans to split the revenue and regulatory functions of the Minerals Management Service in order to avoid conflicts of interest, ordered inspections of all deep wells in the Gulf, and issued a moratorium on new drilling.
But we must do more to protect health and safety of our employees to ensure the quality of our air, water, and to preserve the natural beauty and generosity of America, "Obama said.
BP said it would cooperate with the investigation.
"We share the goal of the president and the public to know what happened to cause this accident and what regulatory and industry changes are necessary to prevent something similar from happening again," Tony Hayward, BP's chief executive, said in an email sent statement.
Republican Response
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said in a statement that "in addition to those companies that were drilling, it is important to know what administration approved."
"We know that this administration approved the site. We know that this administration approved the contingency plan games," said McConnell. I hope, during the testimony, we will be able to find out what was wrong not only with the companies themselves, but with the supervision of the companies. "
The Republican weekly address, called the Louisiana Senator, David Vitter for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to immediately start work - "from BP, by the way, the correct bill" - dredging material from the rivers and deltas building barrier islands to protect coast from oil.
Vitter also said that he cooperates with the other Gulf Coast lawmakers to back legislation that raises the liability cap for companies responsible for spills to the higher of "the last four quarters of the responsible party's profit," or twice the current $ 75000000 limit.
The rules will also stimulate research on how to cap wells and develop the booms to prevent the spread of oil in heavy seas.
"It would offshore drilling safer, smarter and more reliable," said the witty.
With help from Jim Polson in New York and William McQuillen in Washington.
No comments:
Post a Comment