The American Petroleum Institute (API) today said the industry already has taken significant action to improve offshore safety operations consistent with the recommendations of the presidential commission investigating the Deepwater Horizon accident.

In a statement released this morning, API's Upstream Director Erik Milito said the presidential commission on the Deepwater Horizon accident did "a great disservice to the thousands of men and women" who work in the oil and natural gas industry by "casting doubt on an entire industry based on its review of a single incident."

"The explosion was a tragic accident that never should have happened," Erik said. "But an accurate assessment must acknowledge all the facts such as the numerous concrete actions that the industry has taken both before an... more »

The presidential commission examining the Deepwater Horizon accident has determined that several missteps contributed last April's blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, including poor decision-making by the companies' management and government regulators. According to an excerpt from its report, the commission found the tragedy "was not the product of a series of abberational decisions made by a rogue industry...the root causes are systemic" and should be corrected.

Among the failures highlighted in the document are gaps in communications between the rig workers on the Deepwater Horizon and within their companies, a lack of effective oversight by government regulators, and the failure of managers to understand the consequences of their decisions.

The commission identified nine decisions that incr... more »

As the nation approaches the New Year, reporters around the country are writing about the energy outlook for 2011. There are quotes from analysts predicting oil and gasoline prices; opinion leaders discussing energy policies likely to be considered by the 112th Congress; and professors explaining the relative merits of fossil fuels and alternatives.

There also are some very knowledgeable and thoughtful bloggers who have done a significant amount of research into energy issues and have provided their insights online and in print. Here are some bloggers' comments about U.S. energy policy that recently caught my eye. Read them carefully and you'll see they share a common theme:

Byron King, who wrote extensively about the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, recently turned his attention toward the gove... more »

The U.S. Justice Department filed suit against BP and eight other companies yesterday to recover billions of dollars from the Deepwater Horizon tragedy. The administration's suit asks that the companies be held responsible for all cleanup costs and damage to natural resources.

Additional defendants could be added to the suit. "This is an ongoing process," Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference.

Workers clear the beach of Bon Secour Nat'l Wildlife Refuge, Nov. 23, 2010

Image Source: BP

The suit acknowledges, however, that the full extent of damage isn't known. The government estimates that more than 200 million gallons of oil escaped from the well; but BP says the amount could be far less. The oil estimates are a key factor in determining penalties under the Clean Water Act... more »

The presidential commission investigating the Deepwater Horizon accident wrapped up the second day of its two-day hearing in Washington yesterday. At the same time, a federal judge in New Orleans was holding a hearing on the administration's deepwater drilling moratorium. Here's a compilation of the latest news as reported by several publications:

• While it's known that the Deepwater Horizon explosion was caused by a surge of gas that rose through the wellbore, the causes remain under investigation and the commission has not yet assessed blame. The lead investigator indicated that the individuals drilling the well "missed signals" but did not base consciously base their decisions on saving money rather than safety.
• Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans held a closed-door conferen... more »