(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined in a letter to
urge President Obama to order “immediate and enhanced” inspections of all
offshore drilling rigs and production platforms in the United States. In their
letter, Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Charles E. Schumer
(D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) wrote that the
inspections should not be conducted with taxpayer dollars and that the
Department of the Interior should also undertake a full review of its
inspection and testing process.
Key
Excerpts from the Letter:
“Together,
we can help transform what you have termed a ‘cozy’ relationship between
regulators and the oil industry into one in which the American people can feel
confident that their safety comes first, before the oil industry’s profits.”
“We
believe that the first step in reestablishing this trust is an immediate
inspection of offshore rigs and an overhaul of all equipment testing
procedures. Until we can ensure the safety of our offshore platforms, our
nation’s coastlines will be threatened by the possibility of more man-made
catastrophes.”
Full Text of the Letter:
May
19, 2010
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear
Mr. President:
As
the Gulf Coast continues to be threatened by the lasting effects of the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, we are deeply concerned that this
accident could be repeated elsewhere. While we commend you for
taking quick action to inspect deepwater rigs and production platforms in the
Gulf of Mexico, we request that you order immediate and enhanced inspections of
every offshore oil drilling rig and offshore oil production platform in United
States waters that could pose a significant threat to the environment or the
economy, no matter its location or depth. In addition, such inspections
should not be performed at taxpayer expense.
The
previous inspections of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig appear to have failed to
reveal multiple, critical problems with the blow-out preventer (“BOP”).
As a result, we also request that you order an immediate top-to-bottom review
of all inspection and testing procedures used to evaluate all offshore drilling
equipment on offshore drilling rigs and production platforms. We need
foolproof testing procedures to guarantee equipment integrity, particularly
when it comes to equipment like a BOP that must act as the last line of defense
against disaster.
Thank
you for your continued leadership in this time of crisis. Together, we
can help transform what you have termed a “cozy” relationship between
regulators and the oil industry into one in which the American people can feel
confident that their safety comes first, before the oil industry’s
profits. We believe that the first step in reestablishing this trust is
an immediate inspection of offshore rigs and an overhaul of all equipment
testing procedures. Until we can ensure the safety of our offshore
platforms, our nation’s coastlines will be threatened by the possibility of
more man-made catastrophes.
Sincerely,
Harry Reid
Richard Durbin
Charles Schumer
Patty Murray
Robert Menendez
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