Bill Crawford: Risky Business as Usual Cannot Continue on Drilling

Bill Crawford, former state legislator from Meridian, guest columnist, The Northeast Mississipppi Daily Journal:

It’s now pretty clear that BP, Transocean, Halliburton and their government regulator could have done much more to minimize deep well drilling risks in the Gulf.

Despite known blow-out risks from the pressure, temperature, and underground forces associated with deep well drilling, BP had scoffed at risks of a major spill. BP also chose to avoid the expense of installing a failsafe “acoustic” device for its 18,000-foot deep well.

Likewise, the Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) that regulates off-shore drilling provided loose oversight. Anderson Cooper reported MMS was in bed, even literally, with big oil. Bowing to political pressure, MMS also chose not to require acoustic devices (as Brazil and Norway do), saying they “tend to be very costly.”

Click here for the entire Bill Crawford column.