President Obama was not happy with the industry's display at the congressional hearings on the catastrophic oil spill from the rig's explosion.
He also addressed the incestuous relationship between MMS and the oil industry.
"I did not appreciate what I considered to be a ridiculous spectacle during the congressional hearings into this matter. You had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else," the president said.
"The American people could not have been impressed with that display, and I certainly wasn't."
He went on to say that he won't be happy until the cleanup is not only done but that damages are paid. Not only that, he also sees the system including the federal gov't as failing:
"It's pretty clear that the system failed and it failed badly." Eleven workers were killed in the accident.
"There is enough responsibility to go around, and all parties should be willing to accept it," the president said.
He said he would not be satisfied until the leak was stopped, the spill was cleaned up and all claims were paid.
"For too long, for a decade or more, there has been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill. It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies," Obama said.
Not sure if it was mentioned in other oil diaries but he is sending some top scientists that aren't in the industry to help devise a solution. Seems his trust in not that great in BP:
Dispatched to Houston by President Barack Obama to deal with the crisis, Chu said Wednesday that five "extraordinarily intelligent" scientists from around the country will help BP and industry experts think of back-up plans to cut off oil from the well, leaking 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) below sea-level.
Members of the Chu team are credited with accomplishments including designing the first hydrogen bomb, inventing techniques for mining on Mars and finding a way to precisely position biomedical needles.
http://www.businessweek.com/...
That he still feels domestic oil is a part of the energy strategy will disappoint many progressives but he seems to be using this spill as a reason to get much tougher on the ones already there let alone new ones, so it is a mixed blessing