Reuters
The worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history spurred federal regulators to overhaul safety rules, but critics say gaps remain that could leave America's coast vulnerable to another disaster.
A year after BP Plc's underwater Macondo well ruptured and sparked an explosion that killed 11 rig workers and spilled nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Interior Department's offshore drilling arm is still rolling out new regulations to address key risks.
"We do not plan to fail," said Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, the new regulatory agency that grew from the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which was overhauled after being widely criticized as inept.
After the Obama administration called a months-long full-stop on new U.S. deepwater drilling to review safety rules, regulators have begun issuing permits that include new plans for deepwater operators to have access to spill-containment systems that could cap a runaway well.
Critics say the potential remains for another spill.
"Many holes still exist in our offshore oil drilling safety regime, and another spill could happen again," said Rep. Edward Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who has called for a review of fail-safe devices known as blowout preventers.
The new U.S. safety regulator is handicapped because Congress has yet to pass legislation that would impose higher fines for accidents, Markey said.
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