The Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works is continuing to investigate the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Last week
, I had the opportunity to question high-ranking officials from BP, Transocean and Haliburton. Today, I questioned senior administration officials on the response to the spill and the need for increased regulation to prevent it from happening again.
At the hearing, I urged federal officials to implement their strategy for adopting new regulations sooner rather than later in response to the massive Gulf spill. The industry told Congress and the public that they could rely on them for safety and that clearly didn't happen.
Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar testified at the hearing and promised that Congress and the public would quickly see "significant changes to regulation," including additional reforms by the Department of Interior, the release of a new report by scientists and safety experts requested by President Obama, and the establishment of a Presidential Commission that will pull all current spill investigations under one umbrella.
