BP engineer called doomed rig a 'nightmare well'

[babylonsister]

BP engineer called doomed rig a 'nightmare well'

By MATTHEW DALY


WASHINGTON (AP) -- BP took measures to cut costs in the weeks before the catastrophic blowout in the Gulf of Mexico as it dealt with one problem after another, prompting a BP engineer to describe the doomed rig as a "nightmare well," according to internal documents released Monday.

The comment by BP engineer Brian Morel came in an e-mail April 14, six days before the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion that killed 11 people and has sent tens of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf in the nation's worst environmental disaster.

The e-mail was among dozens of internal documents released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is investigating the explosion and its aftermath.

In a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward, Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., noted at least five questionable decisions BP made in the days leading up to the explosion.

"The common feature of these five decisions is that they posed a trade-off between cost and well safety," said Waxman and Stupak. Waxman chairs the energy panel while Stupak heads a subcommittee on oversight and investigations.

"Time after time, it appears that BP made decisions that increased the risk of a blowout to save the company time or expense," the lawmakers wrote in the 14-page letter to Hayward. "If this is what happened, BP's carelessness and complacency have inflicted a heavy toll on the Gulf, its inhabitants, and the workers on the rig."

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GULF_OIL_SPILL_WASHINGTON?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[BrklynLiberal]

1. ..and..what is going to be done about this??????????

[Junkdrawer]

2. You should SEE the strong letter being drafted...

It would curl your toes...

[Cant trust em]

4. That is funny, but not really funny. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

5. sad, but true. Laughing thru the tears.

[AtomicKitten]

3. It's criminal negligence and criminal charges should be filed. nt

[jaxx]

6. Discussion going on at the oil drum now about this.

Start reading here: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6595#comment-649967

ROCKMAN at 1:23pm has a lot to say about them not watching what was happening when it blew.

[eShirl]

10. thanks

[Cha]

7. If only they would have made responsible decisions..

it's not as if they were lacking in funds to spend more money for safety backups. It's OIL we're talking about. Greed?

[Scurrilous]

8. K & R

:thumbsup:

[profgoose]

9. K&R... :)