(I'm not sure if this has been diaried yet--if it has, I will take this diary down.
Also, I have to post and run, but will return later to take part in commenting.)
AP is reporting that, in a letter send to BP earlier this month, Transocean, the owner of the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon rig, is claiming that BP is withholding information critical to determining the cause of the accident there earlier this year.
This news comes to me from a source not normally associated with environmental news--Manufacturing.net--thus giving it some additional credence, IMO.
According to the story at the Manufacturing.net site:
In a sternly worded letter to BP's attorneys, Transocean said the oil giant has in its sole possession information key to identifying the cause "of the tragic loss of eleven lives and the pollution in the Gulf of Mexico," and that the company's refusal to turn over the documents has hampered Transocean's investigation and hindered what it has been able to tell families of the deceased and state and federal investigators about the accident.
Worse:
According to Transocean, BP has rebuffed at least seven of its requests for information. And while BP has turned over some documents, it has not provided Transocean with any information since June 21, and has not even acknowledged the company's requests since August 3, the letter said.
What does Transocean say is being withheld?
The company is seeking 16 pieces of technical information from BP, including pressure tests, logs, and other data.
Of, course, BP says they've done nothing wrong--and pigs can now fly:
BP spokeswoman Elizabeth Ashford confirmed that company had reviewed the letter, but called its accusations misleading and misguided, particularly the charge that BP was withholding evidence.
"We have been at the forefront of cooperating with various investigations commissioned by the U. S. government and others into the causes of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy," Ashford said. "Our commitment to cooperate with these investigations has been and remains unequivocal and steadfast."
More news, I'm sure, as it develops.