Rep. Jim Costa Holds a Hearing On the Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Minerals Management Service

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Rep. Jim Costa Holds a Hearing On the Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Minerals Management Service

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES HOLDS A HEARING ON THE DEEPWATER HORIZON EXPLOSION AND MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

JUNE 17, 2010

SPEAKERS: REP. JIM COSTA, D-CALIF., CHAIRMAN DEL. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, D-A.S. REP. RUSH D. HOLT, D-N.J. REP. DAN BOREN, D-OKLA. DEL. GREGORIO "KILILI" CAMACHO SABLAN, I-NORTHERN MARIANA IS. REP. MARTIN HEINRICH, D-N.M. REP. EDWARD J. MARKEY, D-MASS. REP. MAURICE D. HINCHEY, D-N.Y. REP. JOHN SARBANES, D-MD. REP. NIKI TSONGAS, D-MASS. REP. NICK J. RAHALL II, D-W. VA. EX OFFICIO

REP. DOUG LAMBORN, R-COLO. RANKING MEMBER REP. DON YOUNG, R-ALASKA REP. LOUIE GOHMERT, R-TEXAS REP. ELTON GALLEGLY, R-CALIF. REP. JEFF FLAKE, R-ARIZ. REP. JASON CHAFFETZ, R-UTAH REP. JOHN FLEMING, R-LA. REP. CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, R-WYO. REP. DOC HASTINGS, R-WASH. EX OFFICIO

REP. RAUL M. GRIJALVA, D-ARIZ. REP. GUS BILIRAKIS, R-FLA. REP. BILL CASSIDY, R-LA.

WITNESSES: BOB ABBEY, ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT'S MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

MARY KENDALL, INTERIOR DEPARTMENT'S ACTING INSPECTOR GENERAL

FRANK RUSCO, DIRECTOR OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT AT THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

KENNETH ABBOTT, FORMER CONTRACTOR AT BP ATLANTIS

CHRISTOPHER MANN, SENIOR OFFICER AT THE PEW ENVIRONMENT GROUP

ALAN SPACKMAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF OFFSHORE TECHNICAL AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS AT THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DRILLING CONTRACTORS

ERIK MILITO, GROUP DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE'S UPSTREAM AND INDUSTRY OPERATIONS

DANIELLE BRIAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PROJECT ON GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT STEVE MALEY, OPERATIONS MANAGER AT BADGER OIL CORPORATION

[*] COSTA: The oversight hearing on the Subcommittee of Energy and Mineral Resources on the Deepwater Horizon incident will now come to order.

The subject of this morning's hearing is -- the question is the agency within the Department of Interior, Minerals Management Services, are their regulations doing their job. And we have a GAO report.

We have three panels of witnesses, and we look forward to an instructive hearing this morning. Obviously, there's a lot of questions and concerns that have been raised as a result of this horrific accident.

Before we begin, I would like to ask unanimous consent to allow members to participate who are not a member of the subcommittee but a member of the full committee, to be allowed to sit in and to participate in this subcommittee hearing.

Without objection? So ordered, so, I suspect there are several different hearings going on concurrently, but we welcome those members from the full committee who are not part of the subcommittee from participating, and we'll look forward to your contribution.

Mr. Lamborn, you're recognized.

LAMBORN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would also ask unanimous consent that, as they are able to, that three other members who are not on the full committee but who do represent states on the Gulf Coast be able to sit in as well -- Mr. Scalise of Louisiana, Mr. Cao of Louisiana, and Mr. Bilirakis of Florida.

COSTA: All right, these are members of whose districts have been directly impacted as a result of this horrific accident that has had tragic results in the Gulf, and certainly we would want to afford that opportunity to any members whose districts lie in harm's way as a result of the terrific impacts that are being felt today, so...

LAMBORN: Thank you.

COSTA: You're welcome. Let me begin with my opening statement, and then we'll refer to the ranking member here, and then the ranking member of the full committee would like to make a brief statement, and we'll get to the heart of the hearing here with the three panels that we have before us this morning.

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources is meeting today to hear testimony regarding the Minerals Management Services regulations, the organizational structure that is now being changed as a result of the terrific accident that has took place on the Deepwater Horizon on April 20th of this year. Before we begin, I think it's important that we take a moment to acknowledge the brave men who lost their lives aboard the Horizon that night. Although the focus of the nation right now is on the environmental and economic catastrophe occurring in the Gul...

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