Congresswoman Kathy Castor today helped pass out of her Energy and Commerce Committee the Blowout Prevention Act, which will strengthen regulation and oversight of well design and safety equipment.  The bill will head to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives over the next few weeks.

“The BP Deepwater Horizon disaster has held the Gulf Coast hostage for the past 87 days and devastated small business owners, hotels, motels, fishermen and our beautiful Gulf waters and marine life,” Castor said.  “BP’s singular focus on profits over safety concerns has wreaked economic and environmental havoc on my state.”

One respected Florida economist has estimated that the impact of the BP disaster on the State of Florida could be in the $10 billion range.

Castor participated in the first and ongoing hearings on the Deepwater Horizon explosion and blowout in the Energy and Commerce Committee.  This bill is a direct response to what she learned about the causes of the Deepwater Horizon blowout in those hearings over the past three months. 

“Although BP claimed that deepwater drilling is safe and the technology was advanced, the committee’s investigation demonstrated that was untrue,” Castor said.  “If oil companies cannot prevent catastrophic spills and clean up the petroleum, they shouldn’t be operating in federal waters. The resources of the Gulf and other federally protected waters along the Outer Continental Shelf belong to the American people, not Big Oil. “

For many years, Castor has warned of the risks of offshore drilling.

“Big Oil has used its considerable resources to buy political influence and downplay the risks. The oil industry has fought the government tooth and nail to avoid regulation,” Castor said. “Now we are dealing with the consequences.”

HR 5626, the Blowout Prevention Act of 2010, seeks to strengthen regulation and oversight of well design and blowout prevention equipment, which are critical to containing oil during the drilling process.  It addresses several of the concerns discovered by the committee by directing federal officials to promulgate safety regulations regarding blowout preventers, secondary control systems, well design, fluid circulation and cementing practices.  In addition it provides for the implementation and enforcement of standards through independent third-party certification, inspections and other mechanisms.

“It is clear that BP elevated profits over safety and downplayed the risks,” Castor said.  “The Blowout Prevention Act works to ensure that additional safety measures are put in place to reduce the risks associated with offshore drilling.”