According to BP, it has adopted new, safer standards for deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The announcement came a year after the company capped its blown-out well in the Gulf which was located about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. The company said in a letter to U.S. regulators that the standards exceed existing federal requirements and demonstrate BP’s commitment to safety. As we have learned, the extremely weak federal requirements over the years have been a large part of the problem when it came to regulation. It has been sort of like the “tail wagging the dog.” Of course, that poor regulation didn’t mean BP and other oil companies could ignore sound safety practices and procedures that were available to them.

BP said the standards include new requirements for features on and testing of blowout preventers and lab tests of cement used in well casings. The company also said it will include new information in its response plan about managing spills in open water and near shore. As we have repeatedly written, over 200 million gallons of oil flowed into the Gulf after BP’s Macondo well blew out in April 2010. It’s too bad for all concerned that BP didn’t see fit to adopt its so-called new approach to safety prior to April 20, 2010!

Source: Montgomery Advertiser