Ranking Member Grijalva Applauds the Release of the Well Control Rule

Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) hailed the release of the final Well Control Rule today, an offshore drilling safety regulation nearly five years in the making. The Rule is a direct result of the BP oil spill that contaminated marine and wildlife habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and many deem the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

“This long-overdue rule is an important step forward for offshore drilling safety in the Gulf of Mexico,” Grijalva said. “I still don’t believe that offshore drilling is safe enough, and I feel like every time a company starts a new well we’re playing Russian roulette with our oceans, but I congratulate the Obama Administration and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement for taking this crucial step that appropriately prioritizes workers and the environment ahead of corporate profits.”

Grijalva recently published an op-ed in TIME entitled “How to Prevent the Next Oil Spill,” in which he stressed the importance of the Well Control Rule and urged the Obama Administration to resist industry pressure to delay the Rule’s release.

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Media Contact: Diane Padilla

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