Blunders Abounded Before Gulf Spill, Panel Says

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — The Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was an avoidable accident caused by a series of failures and blunders by the companies involved in drilling the well and the government regulators assigned to police them, the presidential panel named to study the accident has concluded.

The companies — BP, Transocean and Halliburton, and several subcontractors working for them — took a series of hazardous and time-saving steps without adequate consideration of the risks involved, the commission reports in a chapter of its final findings, released on Wednesday in advance of the full report, to be published early next week.

The panel also found that company officials had failed to consult with one another on critical decisions and that senior management had paid insufficient attention to the troubled well, which was being drilled a mile under the gulf’s surface.

The commission warned that without major changes, another such accident was likely. “The blowout was not the product of a series of aberrational decisions made by rogue industry or government officials that could not have been anticipated or expected to occur again,” it concluded. “Rather, the root causes are systemic and, absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/science/earth/06spill.html?hp

[JDPriestly]

1. Once again, it was poor management and especially excessive secrecy and the withholding of

information that caused the problem.

The commissioners referred to “compartmentalization” of information within and between companies, like the failure of onshore BP and Halliburton officials to report to workers aboard the rig known problems with the cement to be used to seal the well. A similar tendency to hoard critical information was one of the crucial shortcomings identified by the commission named to look into the causes of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which found that federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies failed to share data that might have identified the attackers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/science/earth/06spill.html?_r=1&hp

Excellent article. I wonder what will happen next.

[underpants]

2. "blunders" sounds helpless. "time saving" really means COST CUTTING

from massive food recalls to health outbreaks at fast food to major oil operations it all comes down to spending as little as possible and hoping nothing happens.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Commission spreads the blame for Gulf oil disaster in report

Source: CNN January 6, 2011 -- Updated 0432 GMT (1232 HKT)

(CNN) -- "Systemic" problems caused the Deepwater Horizon blowout and subsequent oil spill and only "significant reform" will prevent another, President Barack Obama's commission studying the disaster says in its soon-to-be-released report.

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling on Wednesday released a chapter of the report that it says contains the key findings. The report is to be released in full on Tuesday.

"The Macondo blowout was the product of several individual missteps and oversights by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, which government regulators lacked the authority, the necessary resources, and the technical expertise to prevent," the report says.

"The blowout was not the product of a series of aberrational decisions made by rogue industry or government officials that could not have been anticipated or expected to occur again. Rather, the root causes are systemic and, absent significant reform in both industry practices and government policies, might well recur."

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/01/05/gulf.spill.report/index.html?hpt=C1

[defendandprotect]

4. Thought they made quite clear that this was industry doing what saved them time and money...

and dangerous practices for the future?


There are other articles on this --

[dipsydoodle]

5. BBC - US oil spill: 'Bad management' led to BP disaster

The companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill made decisions to cut costs and save time that contributed to the disaster, a US panel has concluded.
>
BP did not have adequate controls in place to ensure safety, it found.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12124830

Also : BP shares higher following US spill report.

LONDON (AP) — Shares in BP PLC opened higher Thursday after a U.S. presidential commission criticized the oil company's contractors and regulators as well as BP for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

BP shares were up 2.1 percent to 510 pence ($7.90) in midmorning trade on the London Stock Exchange.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h8HQ07GOWJ6kOCq50f0DC75KcGtg?docId=2db3ff758489479f9fc52a87b03a7130

[No Elephants]

6. Soon, someone will blame liberals.