The Presidentially-appointed Oil Spill Commission has released its landmark report, Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling, on the causes and consequences of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, and is proposing comprehensive reforms of both government and industry practices to overhaul the U.S. approach to drilling safety and greatly reduce the chances of a similar, large scale disaster in the future.
The Commission, which includes UMCES President Donald Boesch, finds that a series of specific and preventable human and engineering failures were the immediate causes of the disaster. The report recommends several specific actions to be taken by Congress, by the Administration, and by industry to reduce the likelihood of a similar tragedy.
“I grew up in Louisiana,” said President Boesch. “I have studied the environmental effects of offshore energy development, and I have watched it change both the environment and economy of the Gulf states. The Macondo blowout starkly illustrates the fact that we must take greater action to protect and restore the Gulf coast, one of this country's most valuable natural treasures. We have an opportunity now, some might say an obligation, to address the serious deterioration affecting the Gulf waters, wetlands and resources of the region.”
