House Grants Buchanan's Request for Investigation into BP as Oil Makes Landfall

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform has granted a request from Congressman Vern Buchanan for a congressional investigation of why British Petroleum received a waiver from conducting a detailed environmental impact report at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. 

There have been several reports of prior safety issues aboard the vessel, one of the largest offshore oil rigs in the world. Oil giant, BP, leased the rig from Transocean Ltd, but according to U.S. law, is responsible for the spill and all associated costs. In January, House Representatives Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., alleged that the company's efforts to cut costs could imperil safety at BP facilities. As spewing oil continues to damage ecosystems and hamper gulf driven economies, increased focus is being placed on determining whether the catastrophe could have been prevented.

Yesterday, oil from the spill made its first confirmed landfall on a small offshore island in Louisiana and there were reports of tar balls found on beaches in Alabama. Calm weather has helped keep the oil from making significant progress toward Florida, and officials have their fingers crossed that the steel and concrete domes lowered yesterday will provide significant containment. However, the domes will not be operational until tomorrow or Monday and have never been attempted at such depths.