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Subscribe to RSSA BP drilling engineer's testimony before a fact-finding commission investigating the Gulf oil spill has been contradicted on several key points in e-mail messages released by congressional investigators, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
The newspaper said that Mark Hafle, BP's senior drilling engineer for the Macondo well, testified last month in Kenner, La., that the oil company's team aboard the Deepwater Horizon had worked with cement contractor Halliburton to come up with the safest possible design for encasing the well with cement and steel tubing so that "all … concerns had been addressed."
But internal e-mail messages released Tuesday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee paint a different picture:
• BP rejected a safer plan to cement and stabilize the well suggested by Halliburton's representative because it would have required installation of additional components that weren't readily available. "It will take 10 hours to install them," team leader John Guide wrote in an e-mail on April 16 — four days before the explosion aboard the oil rig.
In testimony May 28 before the Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service panel investigating the spill, Hafle appeared to contradict that, testifying: "No one believed there was going to be a safety issue on that cement job. All of the risk had been addressed. All the concerns had been addressed. We had a model that suggested that if executed properly, we would be able to get a good cement job on this string of pipe."
• Hafle also testified that BP officials had no plans to run a test of the well cement's strength and integrity, known as a cement bond log, contradicting a previous report in the Times-Picayune that a team from the Schlumberger oil services company was on the rig preparing to conduct the test until BP sent the workers home about 11 hours before the accident.
That also was contradicted by the records collected by the records collected by congressional investigators, the newspaper said.
• Hafle also denied that economic considerations played a part in BP's decisions on how to seal the well, saying, "I don't run the economics."
But an e-mail from his deputy, Brian Morel, indicated that Hafle should have known that the company was considering economics in its design decisions, the Times-Picayune said. Morel sent Hafle a message on March 30 explaining that BP's final design decision "saves a good deal of time/money."
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak, D-Mich., told BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward in a letter Monday to come prepared to testify about these discrepancies — and others — when he appears before them on Thursday.
— Mike Brunker
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America is being treated like a 3rd world country by BP and, is suspect, other big oil companies.
The unthinkable has happened. An American President has played hardball for the American people with one of the most powerful multinational oil companies in the world.
The victims of the Exxon Valdez spill weren't paid for 20 years as the cases were allowed drag through the courts. Many died in poverty, their family businesses destroyed before Exxon paid a penny.
President Obama has stood up to the oil companies. He has taken the unthinkable step of saying he will cancel their oil leases if they don't pay and pay now. He has gotten money from them now to be paid right away.
Personally, I never imagined a President with such balls. Until now, our Presidents have kissed oil company ass whenever needed - every one of them.
Balls? I don't think so it's a front put on for the media just like everything else he's done this is the first real crisis he's had to deal with and what did he do? not a damn thing until the media got involved (but hey thats turned out to be to little too late hasn't it?) And least you forget that at the beginning of this (or at least when Oblabma finally started acting like he cared) he WAS kissing BP's ass having joint conferences etc etc but now that the real issues have been brought to the public eye he wants to hold someone accountable who was already taking responsibility for this disaster. Do you really think he's looking for someones ass to kick and do you really think that ass will belong to a company that paid 100's of MILLIONS to get him elected? Dream on it's all talk. Guess what were still in Iraq Gitmo is Still open Our soldiers are still dying everyday in Afghanistan were all still paying outrageous amounts for healthcare and those of us on the gulf will still be suffering YEARS from now over this. If that's your change keep it I'll put mine in the piggy bank for the next fiasco!
Balls?!? LOL! The man is going on National Television, flying here and there, for publicity. You know why? Because his approval ratings were in freefall, ever since he "hardballed" with Congress, bribing and extorting people of his own party to turn their no's into yes's. Regardless though, all he is doing is whining how it is "their fault." And you are correct, they have all recently pretty much sucked up to the oil companies. The reason for that is because we didn't want our gas prices to rise so literally, no matter how you think on it, they were doing what we wanted to. This President doesn't care about what is in our pockets. All he cares about is that the "evil rich" have less. EXACTLY why he is trying to be aggressive with BP.
I see what you are saying small town man, but that doesn't change the fact that Obama has to "play cleanup" for the Bush administration. Let's not kid ourselves. I am a democrat, and I have many friends that are republican and we all agree that Bush was a moron. You may want to sound all smart and arrogant in your arguments, but atleast Obama is making an effort whereas most republicans could care less.
I am still waiting to see someone from BP, Transocean or Halliburton go to jail - someone needs to, it is real obvious that someone just didn't care about safety and made decisions that contributed to this disaster. The only way to teach people is by example and sending someone to jail (actual physical jail) is the only way to teach that lesson and have it stick - allowing fines is not going to work.
Just my opinion though,
anyone seen the report on CNN about the BP rig ATLANTIS. Twice as big and twice as dangerous and runing without inspection or engeneering documents. How long before OABAM shuts it down until it is up to standards. OOPS, he won't do that will he! He is just "in charge", but he doesnt have the authority.
After a generation of propaganda that government is just a hindrance to business and the embedding of business lackeys at all levels of regulatory agencies, multinationals feel that laws and regulations don't apply to them and that governments cannot do anything to control or harm them.
The oil, oops - I mean the Bush Administration issued the permits and approved the joke of a cleanup plan that promised to "take care of the Walrus and Seals"
But this is President Obama's problem to solve, no question about it We are in two wars, have the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and have tax cuts for the rich that turned a surplus into a deficit. We have NEVER been is a situation like this. It is what was given to him and he is having to deal with it.
I would suggest we tell the Republicans in Congress to quit shutting Congress down with the filibuster, the country is in too bad a shape to allow them to play politics and run for re-election and do little else.
Uh, it was Clinton, and Democrat, who rode out what Bush Sr., a Republican, put in place to give us that surplus, and through Clinton's actions, we fell back into the deficit during Bush Jr.'s term. Blame the Dem.'s. And what you are talking about is party rule. So go on to some Communist/Socialist country where it's only one group of people in charge but this is America. So if the Dem.'s aren't willing to listen to Republicans (which they aren't), more power to the Republicans for standing up to the snobs. Remember November. :)
small town man, you certainly are that, aren't you? don't ever let anyone tell you differently.
is FOX news the only channel you get in your small town? my guess is, it is. Take a moment, turn off the fox news tv, and find out the truth for yourself. I bet even a small town man can do that - afterall you do have the Internet.
wow.
Actually you don't have to go to FOX news to see what small town man stated is the truth it's a matter of public record look it up.
If the senior drill engineer didn't make the decisions, it was someone higher up. Eleven dead men and a desecrated sea deserve to know, "who ordered the code red".
I love the way people are slamming the President, no matter what he did or does those of you will not cut him any slack, "he's not mean enough to oil" or "he's being to mean to big oil" he's not talking tough enough "now he wants to kck someone's ass, why?" the law passed by Congress limited liability to oil to 75 million per spill he has negotiated a 20 billion dollar trust fund plus the 50 some million they have already paid, another 100 million for the laid off deep water well workers, etc, he is doing some extra ordinary stuff with BP and yet all some of you can do is complain do us and yourselves a favor and just shut up, how are you helping? Go to the gulf and spend your vacation dollars in Biloxi or other parts of the gulf where the oil is not on the beaches and help these states. The local cities can use the income from out of state vacationeers, the stores, the hotels and food places seafood or not can use the business, help the gulf out instead of just being part of the problems. The airwaves are full of talking heads complaining about the President just do something useful and spend your money in the gulf help the people out instead of just running your mouth.
Good for you-couldnt have said it better myself!
Small Town Man needs to brush up on history. And when he does he may remember that Bush 41 was a one-termer, not because of the "surplus" he left Clinton, but the terrible state of the economy in the last year and a half of his term. God grant us that one day, just maybe, you right-wingers will get your facts right.
Back to the original post: I hope the $20 billion comes through and doesn't go the way of Exxon's case. I also seem to recall that they avoided a great deal of that penalty by stringing it out in the courts. That was in 1989. Let's see...... who was president then? ;)
I did not vote for the current president! I will not vote for him in the next election cycle! I will say however that he has done a pretty good job considering the mess he was left with by the Deserter in Charge Bush! He has done this despite the party of no screaming unfair and no way as he tried to pass legislation to help the people of this nation! Could anyone else have done better, I don't know? Do you? I would like to see this nation be operated as a good business and quit running in the red before we run out of ink to print more money! Do we have a problem in our government, yes! Do we have a problem with our population and the people who don't vote and then cry about what the government does to annoy them! If you don't vote, you have no say in what happens! You are either part of the solution or a part of the problem, which one do you choose to be?
perhaps the well would of failed no matter how they tried to seal it. "the pressure is just too great"-exactly how much pressure is that oil formation under? 17,ooo feet of sediment!
Crazyrooster pretty much has it right which is refreshing. I voted for Obama and I did it to protest the mess being created by the W. I actually liked McCain but I felt the need to send a message that enough of the "Deserter in Charge Bush" was enough. I tend to vote for the candidate and not the party but in the last election I would have voted for Mephistopheles if he had been running against the incumbent party. As for the next election I will see what things are looking like in 2012. If Obama is successful in returning America to a reasonable semblance of itself then he gets my vote. Otherwise.....
Ragge, I have heard different accounts of the wellhead pressure and of the vertical well depth. If anyone can post a reliable source with those I would like to know it. But regardless of what it was, drilling mud weighted down with an appropriate amount of baryte would provide enough hydrostatic pressure to suppress any flow of gas or oil. That is a balancing act throughout the drilling operation and is still important as the well is completed. But BP chose to use sea water instead of mud. Considering the kicks they had experienced and other known issues it is almost as if they actually WANTED to cause a blowout. Either that or they were dumber than bricks. Who knows.
Here's a proposal for something helpful we can all do – go out each day and perform some extra act of kindness. I’m 78 and admit I’m crazy, but maybe this idea isn’t, so please read the next few lines.
1. Out of about 300 million people in the US maybe half a million can do something directly about the spill, from engineers with technical ideas to people on the beaches and in boats sopping up the goo. That leaves 299.5 million of us who are frustrated, mad, scared and seemingly helpless or useless. Throwing verbal bricks at oil execs, politicians and each other may help to vent the anger, but doesn’t do a bit of good for anyone affected by the spill.
2. Consider the ripple effect of this spill. Just the economics are scary. Everyone who’s losing a business or livelihood is a customer of other businesses, so these other businesses are going to lose money, and they in turn are customers of still other businesses, and on and on. Families going broke are under enormous extra stress – how many more divorces and abused spouses and kids will there be, with the unhappiness of one person affecting lots of others.
3. I’m proposing a reverse ripple effect. Lots of wise people, religious or not, have the idea that any good deed has a ripple effect that makes the whole world a better place. It costs nothing to give an extra hug to one you love, to be a bit more patient with everyone you love and everyone you don’t, to give a little extra help to someone in need. I’m no genius, so I have no idea if and how this stuff works. But on the chance (even if it’s the teeniest) that I can make a difference this way, this is what I intend to do.
Peace to all.