MMS Rules Insufficient for Offshore Safety Devices, Salazar Says

"The Minerals Management Service did not adequately regulate safety devices and procedures for offshore drilling before the massive Gulf of Mexico disaster, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said [Tuesday].

In his first testimony on the spill, Salazar said MMS, which is part of Interior, did not have sufficient rules in place for blowout preventers, the fail-safe device on the Deepwater Horizon rig that failed.

"The answer is no," Salazar responded when asked if MMS had adequately regulated the devices. "I think there is additional work that should have been done with respect to blowout prevention mechanisms."

Salazar added that on the larger question of whether additional federal efforts can be made to enhance the safety of blowout preventers, cementing and other safety procedures on the rig, "the answer to that is absolutely yes.""

Noelle Straub reports for Greenwire May 18, 2010.

See Also:

"Salazar Says BP, Other Companies Will Be Held 'Fully Accountable'" (Los Angeles Times)