WASHINGTON – With oil still flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. government imposed on the offshore industry to flood the drilling of new laws and regulations. After several hearings and heated political rhetoric, a number of key congressional panel will begin deliberating or voting on legislation made in response of the biggest oil disaster in U.S. history following week.
The Obama administration has promised to continue with aggressive regulation of oil and gas companies operating in federal waters, despite the ruling by a federal court overturn his six-month moratorium on deep water drilling.
Eventually, the oil disaster is almost certainly the role of government to reshape the supervision of oil and natural gas exploration and production of the American coasts.
After a look at some of the possible actions and new legislation due to leakage.
Cracking the whip on Big Oil
Lawmakers in both chambers have begun working on legislation to crack down on the offshore drilling industry in the wake of the Gulf leakage.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will vote Wednesday on a number of bills relating to the spill, including measures that would increase financial requirements for drillers and increase civil and criminal penalties for offenders rule.
The committee is also considering measures that would require the Department of the Interior all companies bidding on new leases to ensure have complied with all safety requirements for their existing activities and have fulfilled all obligations to pay compensation in previous accidents.
This measure, in particular, may affect those involved in the Deepwater Horizon rig spilled.
Also on Wednesday, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on expansive energy legislation that would eliminate environmental review exemptions for offshore projects and require drillers to keep technology has proven to be able to handle oil spills.
Lawmakers are still negotiating over how much money the amount of BP (BP.L pulling) would be needed to Dole for economic losses caused by the leakage of the current limit of $ 75,000,000. Some lawmakers have called for a cap 10 billion U.S. dollars, while others have said there is no limit on damages businesses face.
Although it is unclear exactly how the cap will be lifted, it is almost certain that oil companies BP and other drilling offshore will be responsible for coverage of more than $ 75 million in economic losses in the future.
Stricter DRILLING RULES
Despite the decision by a federal judge this week to drill the government ban, the Interior secretary Ken Salazar bloc has agreed to a contract for a new moratorium issue.
Although the department is limited to the details, Salazar declared this week that the new ban may be more focused and would include criteria for ending the moratorium. [ID: nN23116856]
Each drilling ban will likely face additional legal challenges.
Politically, the Obama administration will be under intense pressure from the Gulf state lawmakers to shorten or weaken the ban, which they say could cost them hundreds of thousands of area jobs.
Even if the ban is lifted, no new drilling will be done in a careful examination and extensive technological and environmental requirements.
The department has implemented new safety rules for projects that shallow water, in addition to the requirement of more detailed blowout prevention and control plans.
Punishment of BP
Depending on the outcome of the federal investigations, BP and other companies involved in the Gulf oil slick face criminal prosecution.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced early this month that it has launched a criminal and civil investigation into the ecological disaster.
In a worst-case scenario, the criminal proceedings that the Ministry of Interior on offshore drilling to limit the activities of BP.
The department could strip BP of its ability to exploit its offshore oil fields or suspension of its leases, but these movements should be weighed against the American energy needs.
The government also has an interest in not completely cripple American energy company BP’s business, because he wants the company to pay billions of dollars in damages and clean.
source:reuters
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