Faulty Human Decisions Led to Oil Spill Disaster, Presidential Panel Finds
Preliminary findings by the National Oil Spill Commission, the presidential panel dedicated to investigating the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April, reflect that the tragedy stemmed from “several very human decisions made by competent persons who missed signals."
In an interview with Bloomberg's Lizzie O'Leary, William Reilly, co-chairman of the commission and former Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said that understanding what went wrong aboard the rig has been challenging because many of those manning the rig died in the explosion. Reilly did say, however, that many decisions were questionable and some were "outright wrong."
The panel identified the lack of standard protocols, such as the way gauges are designed and how the necessary information is disseminated, as one important lesson learned and an area where standards should be enforced. This led Reilly and the panel to recommend an "entity, much like exists in the nuclear industry, to raise the bar for safety everywhere" within the oil industry.
While other studies have found the resulting explosion was due to BP cutting corners to cut costs and to save money, the commission found no evidence that BP took any action that would intentionally jeopardize safety to cut costs.
The commission found that Halliburton Co., one of the companies along with BP and Transocean involved in operation of the rig, may have recommended use of an inadequate cement formula for sealing the well, contributing to the explosion.
BP may still be held liable in civil courts, resulting in fines and legal costs in the billions of dollars.
The maritime injury lawyers of Arnold & Itkin LLP have shared their legal expertise and insights about the Gulf Coast oil spill with national and local media in the aftermath of the disaster, including National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” the Houston Chronicle and Houston’s ABC television affiliate, among others.
For more information about the firm, please visit Jones-Act-Maritime-Lawyer.com and LawyerForYou.com. For a free consultation about a maritime injury or accident, contact a maritime lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP by calling toll free at (866) 222-2606.
