Minerals Management Service Questioned At Senate Hearing
May 11 2010 - 11:58AM
Dow Jones News
The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service came under
scrutiny Tuesday as lawmakers questioned whether oversight of
oil-rig safety equipment was adequate.
Bud Danenberger, the former head of MMS's offshore regulatory
program, told the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee that the agency needs "more data on the performance of"
shear rams, a key part of deepwater-drilling safety equipment that
is supposed to shear off, or cut, pipes, as a last resort in the
event of a blowout.
"Isn't that what MMS is supposed to do?" asked Jeff Sessions (R,
Ala.), who said that oil from the April 20 accident is starting to
lap up on the Alabama coastline. "Could they have mandated changes
so that they could be certain to work?"
The former regulator said that all components of the safety
equipment, known as a blowout preventer, are pressure tested and
certified. But Sen. Bob Menendez (D, N.J.) questioned whether the
test was "appropriate" in retrospect given the explosion.
"Why is it that the testing always seems to pass and yet when it
was needed it failed?" Menendez asked.
Danenberger said that "it's an appropriate test" but "whether
more needs to be done we'll have to learn that."
Blowout preventers are tested every 14 days. Federal regulators
had previously required testing every seven days.
-By Siobhan Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6654;
siobhan.hughes@dowjones.com
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