04.13.15

Ranking Member Grijalva Hails “Long Overdue” Proposed Oil Rig Blowout Preventer Rule, Calls Worker Health and Safety “Non-Negotiable”

Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement on the Interior Department’s newly announced Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement proposed rule on blowout preventers.

“The worst oil spill in our nation’s history, which is still damaging our families and our economy five years later, happened because of weak safety standards and a lack of industry oversight. This long overdue proposed rule helps bring drilling safety into the modern era, and that’s a goal everyone should embrace. American worker health and safety is non-negotiable. Before the critics start their predictable calls of ‘burdensome’ and ‘unnecessary,’ they should think about the ongoing costs of the spill – to our fishermen, lobstermen, tourism professionals, and above all the families of those who died because of a permissive regulatory culture that can’t continue. I intend to work for a strong final rule, and I encourage everyone who supports our economy and our environment to do the same.”

The Macondo well, owned by BP, became the focus of a national debate about oil drilling safety in 2010 after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and spilled oil for 87 days.