Posted on 06/09/2010 6:13:12 PM PDT by Retired Intelligence Officer
In a stunning AP story, it has been learned that the Bush Administration cited the Deep Water Horizon (The oil rig that sank after an oil well it dug in the Gulf of Mexico exploded) for six safety violations in less than five years beginning in 2002, but the Obama Administration gave it a safety award last year. Here is a key passage in the AP story:
A summary of the inspection history that the MMS officials provided AP said the Deepwater Horizon received six "incidents of noncompliance" — the agency's term for citations.
The most serious occurred July 16, 2002, when the rig was shut down because required pressure tests had not been conducted on parts of the rig's blowout preventer — the device that was supposed to stop oil from gushing out if drilling operations experienced problems.
That citation was "major," said Arnold, who characterized the overall safety record related by MMS as strong.
A citation on Sept. 19, 2002, also involved the blowout preventer. The inspector issued a warning because "problems or irregularities observed during the testing of BOP system and actions taken to remedy such problems or irregularities are not recorded in the driller's report or referenced documents."
During his Senate testimony last week, Transocean CEO Steven Newman said the blowout preventer was modified in 2005.
According to MMS officials, the four other citations were:
• Two on May 16, 2002, for not conducting well control drills as required and not performing "all operations in a safe and workmanlike manner."
• One on Aug. 6, 2003, for discharging pollutants into the Gulf.
• One on March 20, 2007, which prompted inspectors to shut down some machinery because of improper electrical grounding.
(Excerpt) Read more at conservativeedge.com ...
bkmk for the liberals at work
And aided and abetted the Lockerbie deal...
When he wakes up at 8 pm tonight, he can see it.
LOL!!! You noticed? He does like his weekend doesn’t he?
Can’t he pay someone to handle the weekend news for him? sigh
http://www.bing.com/search?q=mms+awarded+horizon+an+award&src=IE-SearchBox&Form=IE8SRC
http://www.ask.com/web?q=mms+awarded+horizon+an+award&qsrc=0&o=0&l=dir
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=mms+awarded+horizon+an+award&b=&fr=ie8
It’s probably safe to assume that the Department of the Interior won’t be giving out any more awards soon to Transocean Ltd., owner of the offshore oil platform that blew up and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. Up until last summer at least, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) thought Transocean was doing a bang-up job, presenting the company with a regional Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) for “outstanding drilling operations” and a “perfect performance period.”
Of course, this is the same federal office where officials have been exposed for their poor lack of judgment. An investigation in 2008 found that some MMS employees “frequently” drank alcohol at industry functions, were known to use cocaine and marijuana, and had been in bed—literally— with oil and gas company representatives
Last Year MMS Awarded The Rig An Award For Its Safety History!May 16, 2010 10:19pm by merriemarieMembers of Congress and President Barack Obama have criticized what they call the cozy relationship between regulators and oil companies and vowed to reform MMS, which both regulates the industry and collects billions in royalties from it.
The AP sought to find out how many times government safety inspectors visited the Deepwater Horizon, and what they found. In response, MMS officials offered a changing series of numbers. The MMS has had long-standing issues with its data management.
No explanation was given for the upward revisions. AP granted the officials anonymity because without that condition, communications staff at the Interior Department, which oversees MMS, would not have let them talk.
Based on the last set of numbers provided, the Deepwater Horizon was inspected 40 times during its first 40 months in the Gulf — in line with agency policy for offshore drilling rigs.
Even using the more favorable numbers for the most recent 64 months, 25 percent of monthly inspections were not performed. The first set of data supplied to AP represented a 59 percent shortfall in the number of inspections.
Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff would not comment on the inspection numbers. Instead, she offered a general statement: “We are looking at all the questions that are coming out of the Deepwater Horizon incident.”
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by AP, the agency has released copies of only three inspection reports — those conducted in January, February and April. According to the documents, inspectors spent two hours or less each time they visited the massive rig. Some information appeared to be “whited out,” without explanation.
Meet The 2009 Obama Safety History Award Winning Deepwater Horizon ….Boom!!!!
the Deepwater Horizon’s record was exemplary, according to MMS officials, who said the rig was never on inspectors’ informal “watch list” for problem rigs. In fact, last year MMS awarded the rig an award for its safety history.
A summary of the inspection history that the MMS officials provided AP said the Deepwater Horizon received six “incidents of noncompliance” — the agency’s term for citations.
The most serious occurred July 16, 2002, when the rig was shut down because required pressure tests had not been conducted on parts of the rig’s blowout preventer — the device that was supposed to stop oil from gushing out if drilling operations experienced problems.
That citation was “major,” said Arnold, who characterized the overall safety record related by MMS as strong.
A citation on Sept. 19, 2002, also involved the blowout preventer. The inspector issued a warning because “problems or irregularities observed during the testing of BOP system and actions taken to remedy such problems or irregularities are not recorded in the driller’s report or referenced documents.”
During his Senate testimony last week, Transocean CEO Steven Newman said the blowout preventer was modified in 2005.
According to MMS officials, the four other citations were:
• Two on May 16, 2002, for not conducting well control drills as required and not performing “all operations in a safe and workmanlike manner.”
• One on Aug. 6, 2003, for discharging pollutants into the Gulf.
• One on March 20, 2007, which prompted inspectors to shut down some machinery because of improper electrical grounding.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100516/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_inspections
marked
bttt
bttt
bump for future reference
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