Assessing the Final Report of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
By Kimi Narita, Center for Ocean Solutions Legal Intern
Back in early August 2010 Meg Caldwell, Executive Director of the Center for Ocean Solutions (COS), was asked to testify before the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (Commission). Her testimony would address the statutory and regulatory framework for outer continental shelf (OCS) leasing and would identify potential changes to both minimize the likelihood of another catastrophic oil spill occurring and prepare the nation should another disaster occur. August was a busy month for the COS staff, particularly myself and Meg Caldwell, as we conducted research, corresponded with other ocean experts, and drafted her testimony. Caldwell flew to Washington D.C. and presented her testimony to a very appreciative Commission on August 25, 2010, and we assembled her written testimony the following week. Caldwell’s testimony stressed that the current laws and regulations are written and administered in a way that leads to poor environmental review and minimal inter-agency consultation. Read more...
