WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and the leading investigative force in Congress during the BP spill, released the following statement after the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today announced the issuance of a final offshore drilling safety rule. The rule makes final the safety reforms put in place in the wake of the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
 
“I commend the Obama administration for making final the emergency safety reforms to improve requirements for well design, integrity and control systems put into place in the wake of the worst environmental disaster in our nation’s history. This final rule builds on the findings of various reports that determined the BP oil spill was not inevitable, it was preventable. It will help ensure that blowout preventers actually prevent blowouts.
 
“However, there is still much more to be done to ensure that drilling off our coasts and in the deep water of the Arctic does not harm our oceans or shores and protects the safety of our oil workers. We need to put new laws on the books to protect the environment, the workers, and economy of the Gulf and do what regulators cannot do themselves – increase the liability cap for such accidents, increase civil penalties, and ensure a steady funding stream for federal offshore safety regulators so they can do their job. Congressional Republicans should stop blocking my drilling safety legislation so we can make sure ultra-deep drilling is ultra-safe.”
 
Rep. Markey’s legislation would implement key reforms recommended by the BP Spill Commission that cannot be done through administrative action. The legislation is entitled the “Implementing the Recommendations of the BP Oil Spill Commission Act of 2011” (H.R. 501) and a copy of the legislation can be found HERE. More information on Rep. Markey’s investigation of the BP oil spill can be found HERE.

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