Markey Statement on New Oil Spill Commission Reports

Chairman Stressed Flow Rate Issues, Industry Preparedness During Disaster

November 22, 2010 - A new outline report by the independent commission studying the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has found that the true flow rate of the blown-out well was not fully understood before attempts were made to stop the flow of oil, and that the companies involved and the industry were not prepared for this kind of an event. Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) raised both of these issues as central to the problems with the response to the spill during the disaster, and commended the commission on its continued work.

"Anyone watching this spill unfold day after day could see that the oil industry was woefully unprepared for the disaster, and inattentive to the true size and scope of the spill as it happened," said Representative Markey, who chairs the Energy and Environment Subcommittee in the Energy and Business Committee. "Had BP not shown such aggressive indifference to the size of the disaster, and the oil industry to preparing for such an event, then perhaps early actions could have made a difference in stopping this spill."

Chairman Markey pushed at several points in the disaster for a better estimate of the flow rate of the well. When BP, Halliburton and Transocean 1st appeared before Congress at a closed-door meeting with Chairman Markey and his subcommittee on May 4, 2010, Chairman Markey interrogated the companies about the flow of oil from the well, discovering that the flow of oil could reach up to 60,000 barrels per day. Following that revelation, Representative Markey pushing for better estimates of the flow of oil, including the release of video from the underwater robots monitoring the well. Representative Markey also revealed that BP knew the flow rate could be much higher than their initial estimates of 1,000-5,000 barrels per day.

Representative Markey also revealed the fact that BP and the other major oil companies were all unprepared for this kind of environmental disaster. At a hearing in the Energy and Business Committee in June, Representative Markey uncovered that the oil spill response projects for the oil companies were virtually identical, with emergency contact information for long-dead scientists and walruses listed as threatened animals in the Gulf of Mexico. Representative Markey's opening statement from that hearing can be found here: http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0269

Below are selected delivers on Representative Markey's work on the flow rate issue:
Markey challenges BP on flow rate:
http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0237#main_content
http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0234#main_content

Markey holds hearing on flow rate:
http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0232#main_content

Markey asks BP's then-CEO Tony Hayward for flow rate estimates: http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0264#main_content

Markey links flow rate issue with BP's liability:
http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0255#main_content

Other delivers on the disaster are accessible at: http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_archive#main_content