Government Agency: Offshore Drilling Regulator Understated Risks of Oil Spills in Plans to Expand Drilling

Published May 05 2010, 02:02 PM by Pro Publica

Last week, we reported that in addition to the spotted history of the Minerals Management Service, the regulator responsible for overseeing offshore drilling, parts of the agency had withheld data on offshore drilling from those on staff who were responsible for assessing environmental risk.

At the time, Mandy Smithberger of the Project on Government Oversight told us that "the priority for the agency was on production rather than on regulation." To that point, the evidence continues to mount.

Anonymous Tipline: If you work for BP or a contractor on a rig in the Gulf, or anywhere else, we'd like to hear from you. Tell us about your work conditions, your management, and your observations of what is happening. We will not publish your identity. Call 917-512-0254, fax documents to 212-514-5250 or e-mail Abrahm.Lustgarten @propublica.org.

-- Marian Wang, ProPublica