Fran Ulmer presents 'The Meaning of Deepwater Horizon for Alaskans: What We Must Learn,' April 18

Wednesday, April 18, 5-7 p.m.
UAA Campus Bookstore

Former BP/Deep Water Horizon oil spill commissioners (who formed an action group last month to monitor the progress of government and industry in implementing a series of critical safety recommendations released in January 2011) released this week their report that includes grades for implementation of said recommendations as well as action steps for the administration, Congress and industry. UAA's Fran Ulmer will be giving a presentation at the UAA Campus Bookstore on Wednesday, April 18, at 5 p.m. on the new report, as well as an update on the progress that's been made (or not made) on the initial recommendations and how that impacts Alaska.

Fran Ulmer's years of service in Alaska include being mayor of Juneau, a legislator, two terms as lieutenant governor, director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research, chancellor at UAA and currently UAA's Arctic Research Scholar. Fran also served as a member of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling and is the chairperson of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.

Everyone is encouraged to come to this event, ask questions and consider how best to plan for our future.

For more information, see the bookstore website or contact Rachel Epstein at (907) 786-4782 or anre@uaa.alaska.edu. There is free parking for this event in the South Lot, just across from the bookstore.

Download a copy of the new report (2.9MB PDF), and see below for the official press release issued by the action group.

Former BP Oil Spill Commissioners see progress in implementing recommendations

But not all. Urge Congress to act on key recommendations.

Washington, D.C. - Progress is evident in implementing safety and environmental reforms in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But progress is not universal. Congress, in particular, needs to pass legislation implementing measures only they can. This is the reading of the seven members of President Obama's national oil spill commission, who today issued their first assessment of the progress government and industry have made in implementing the commission's recommendations directed at making offshore oil drilling safer.

After the Commission concluded its work, Commissioners established a new organization, Oil Spill Commission Action, to monitor the progress in implementing recommendations in its report, DEEP WATER:  THE GULF OIL DISASTER AND THE FUTURE OF OFFSHORE DRILLING (January 2011) and to encourage speedier action where implementation is lagging. The report card is the first product of their effort.

"We are encouraged by the progress being made, particularly by the Department of Interior and industry, in adopting our recommendations to improve safety and environmental protection," said William K. Reilly, co-chair of the President's Commission. "Significant progress has also been made in industry's ability to respond to spills that do occur. For instance, there are two new corporations in place in the Gulf of Mexico with capping stacks ready for deployment if a well were to experience a blowout. When the Macondo well blew out, there were none."

"Although the Administration and industry have made significant progress, Congress has not," said Bob Graham, the other Commission co-chair. "Across the board, we are disappointed with Congress's lack of action. Two years have passed since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 workers, and Congress has yet to enact one piece of legislation to make drilling safer."

In other areas on which the Commission focused its attention, the assessment concludes there has been less progress. For instance, although the primary regulatory agencies have benefited from budget increases for the past two years, Congress has taken no action to provide the sustained and adequate funding the Commission concluded was essential. The assessment also questions whether preparations made for drilling in the Arctic are sufficient.

Don Boesch, a Commission member, pointed out that "the only legislation that is close to being implemented  would dedicate, as the Commission recommended, 80 percent of the penalties paid by BP and other parties under the Clean Water Act to long term restoration of the Gulf's ecosystem. But even here, Congress seems to have stalled."

Biographies of the Commission members and a description of the process used in preparing the assessment, along with the Commission's report and other background materials, can be found at the organization's web site, OSCAction.org.