Letter to Fred Upton, Chairman Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Tim Murphy, Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee - Hearing on New Chemical Safety Board Review of BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Letter

The Honorable Fred Upton
Chairman
Committee on Energy and Commerce
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Tim Murphy
Chairman
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Upton and Chairman Murphy:

Last week, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released new findings explaining why the blowout preventer (BOP) on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig failed to prevent the catastrophic explosion and oil spill on April 20, 2010.[1] We request that you schedule a hearing to review the new findings and examine the implications for BOPs still in use today.

The CSB investigation offers a new theory on why the Deepwater Horizon BOP failed to shear the drill pipe and prevent the unmitigated flow of oil into the ocean from the out-of-control well. CSB concluded that the drill pipe passing through the BOP buckled within minutes of the initial well blowout due to "effective compression," a phenomenon caused by large differences in pressure between the inside and outside of the pipe. This warped the pipe enough to prevent the BOP's blind shear ram from cutting and sealing the well; instead, the blades squeezed and punctured the pipe, allowing oil to flow into the ocean.

CSB also identified other problems with the BOP's redundant automatic safety systems, including faulty wiring and drained batteries, and pointed to inadequate maintenance, inspection, and testing protocols as to why these problems went undetected. CSB concluded that the BOP exhibited "multiple deficiencies that demonstrate Transocean and BP did not treat or manage it as a safety-critical device."[2]

Four years ago, the Committee and its subcommittees held 10 hearings into the causes and impact of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill and passed bipartisan legislation addressing our findings.[3] Given the new information uncovered by CSB's investigation, we request that you schedule a hearing to examine these findings and explore what regulators and the oil and gas industry have done and will do to ensure the safety of offshore production.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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