Coast Guard, MMS to formally launch joint investigation into Gulf oil spill

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/96805-coast-guard-mms-to-formally-launch-joint-investigation-into-gulf-oil-spill


Coast Guard, MMS to formally launch joint investigation into Gulf oil spill
By Ben Geman - 05/08/10 02:10 PM ET


The Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service and the U.S. Coast Guard will next week formally launch their joint investigation into the April 20 Gulf of Mexico drilling rig explosion and oil spill.

The joint investigation – which gets underway with public hearings in Kenner, Louisiana on May 11-12 – will “identify the factors leading to the explosion, loss of life, sinking, and subsequent oil spill.”

The accident at the Deepwater Horizon rig – which was own and operated by Transocean Ltd. and leased to oil giant BP – killed 11 workers and unleashed a massive spill that BP and government agencies are struggling to contain.

Captain Hung Nguyen of the Coast Guard and David Dykes of MMS – the branch of Interior that regulates offshore drilling – will co-chair the investigation.

Some lawmakers are also calling for an independent inquiry.

Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) is the lead sponsor of legislation that would establish an independent, nonpartisan commission to probe the disaster and provide recommendations for avoiding future accidents.

Also, MMS has come under fire from watchdog groups for failing to require tougher safety measures for Gulf drilling operations.

[katandmoon]

1. MMS investigating itself. Brilliant.