House Dems raise fears about another BP project

House Dems raise fears about another BP project


More than two dozen House Democrats are asking the Interior Department on Thursday to stop another BP drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico, saying they feared it could end up being more damaging than the ongoing spill stemming from BP's collapsed Deepwater Horizon rig.

The 28 Democrats -- led by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. -- are sending a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Minerals Management Service Director Elizabeth Birnbaum saying they fear the Deepwater Horizon accident could foreshadow a larger tragedy at the BP Atlantis rig, which is operating in deeper waters.

"A worst-case scenario oil spill from Atlantis, which has been in production since 2007, would exceed the Exxon Valdez spill in only two days," the Democrats said.


The spill stemming from the ruptured well of the Horizon over the past three weeks is believed by some to have exceeded the 10.8 million gallons spilled when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989 in Alaska's Prince William Sound.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=45314&oref=todaysnews

Rather than having someone who's cozy with an industry, or an industry insider, I'd rather have someone who questions EVERYTHING. Why is it done this way? How can you be certain this safety valve will work? What tests have been done? Where are the test results? How quickly can you respond to an accident? What are the procedures for an accident? How do you know those procedures are effective? etc.

We need someone who doesn't accept the word of corporations. Corporations have proven time and time again they are not friends, and DO NOT have the public interest at heart.