Highlights: BP top exec faces lawmakers' wrath(Reuters) - The following are highlights from a U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on Thursday delving into BP Plc's role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The hearing marks BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward's first appearance before Congress, where he is facing U.S. lawmakers' wrath over the April 20 rig explosion and the massive oil spill.
LATEST QUOTES
ARE THERE OTHER WELLS IN GULF OF MEXICO BUILT IN SAME
MANNER AS THE MACONDO WELL?
Hayward: There are many wells in the Gulf of Mexico that have the same casing design. There are many wells that have been drilled with the same cement procedure.
Hayward: Everything that we do is subject to regulatory oversight. As we learn from our investigation, we will make appropriate changes.
AWARENESS OF PROBLEMS AT MACONDO WELL BEFORE ACCIDENT
Hayward: I had no prior knowledge.
Hayward: With respect, sir, we drill hundreds of wells a year around the world.
Representative Michael Burgess: Yeah, I know. That's what's scaring me right now.
CHARGES OF STONEWALLING
Representative Henry Waxman: I'm just amazed at this testimony. You're not taking responsibility. You're kicking the can down the road and acting as if you had nothing to do with this.
Hayward: I'm not stonewalling. I simply was not involved in the decision-making process.
EARLIER QUOTES
DID BP CUT CORNERS?
Hayward: I think it's too early too reach a conclusion, with respect, Mr. Chairman. The investigations are ongoing. They've identified seven key areas and when they're complete--
Representative Bart Stupak: Every one of those seven key areas dealt with saving time and saving money and accepting the risk.
SHOULD POOR SAFETY RECORDS BAR COMPANIES FROM OIL, MINERAL
EXPLORATION IN UNITED STATES?
Hayward: In the three years I've been CEO, I've focused on improving dramatically our safety and environmental performance. That is why amongst all the other reasons I am so devastated by this accident.
DO YOU EXPECT TO BE CEO OF BP MUCH LONGER?
Hayward: At the moment, I am focused on the response. I think everyone here believes that the highest priority is to stop the leak, contain the oil on the surface and clean it up. And that is what my focus is.
HAYWARD OPENING REMARKS
"The explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon and the resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico never should have happened, and I am deeply sorry that it did."
"I want to acknowledge the questions that you and the public are rightly asking. How could this happen? How damaging is the spill to the environment? Why is it taking so long to stop the flow of oil and gas into the Gulf? We don't yet have all the answers to these important questions. But I hear and understand the concerns, frustrations and anger being voiced across the country."
"We said all along that we would pay these costs. And now the American people can be confident that our word is good."
"Less than 24 hours after the accident, I commissioned a nonprivileged investigation. I did it because I want to know what happened, and I want to share the results. Right now, it's simply too early to say what caused the incident."
"I give my pledge as the leader of BP that we will not rest until we make this right. We're a strong company and no resources will be spared. We and the entire industry will learn from this terrible event and emerge stronger, smarter and safer."
REPRESENTATIVE HENRY WAXMAN - FULL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
"BP cut corner after corner to save a million dollars here and a few hours or days there. And now the whole Gulf is paying the price."
He added there was no evidence Hayward paid attention to the "tremendous risks" BP was taking. "We have reviewed 30,000 pages of documents from BP, including your emails. There is not a single email that shows you paid even the slightest attention to the dangers at this well."
Waxman said an email from BP's operations drilling engineer, who oversaw BP's team of drilling engineers, showed the firm's corporate attitude. Waxman said after learning of the risks and BP's decision to ignore them, he wrote "who cares, it's done, end of story, will probably be fine."
REPRESENTATIVE JOE BARTON - FULL COMMITTEE TOP REPUBLICAN
"I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, a $20 billion shakedown."
"I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is subject to some sort of political pressure that is, again in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize."
REPRESENTATIVE BART STUPAK - SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
"We have learned that time and time again BP officials had warning signs that this was -- as one employee put it -- 'a nightmare well.' They made choices that set safety aside in exchange for cost-cutting and time-saving decisions."
Stupak said BP disregarded questionable results from pressure tests after cementing the well and selected the riskier of the two options for their well design, among other decisions where it cut corners to save time and money.
He noted that Halliburton warned BP they could have a "severe gas flow problem" if they lowered the final string of casing with only six centralizers instead of the 21 Halliburton recommended. BP rejected it in an April 16 email, saying: "It will take 10 hours to install them ... I do not like this."
BP had a "cavalier attitude toward assessing risk," something that was unbelievable given previous accidents at North Slope and Texas City Refinery, Stupak said.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN DINGELL - DEMOCRAT
"BP has a history of cutting corners for the almighty dollar."
REPRESENTATIVE GENE GREEN - DEMOCRAT
"You should take responsibility for the workers who did nothing wrong and now they're losing their jobs."
THIS ITEM WILL BE UPDATED
Bron:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65G51G20100617