Stupak to investigate BP cost cutting

Rep. Bart Stupak may be retiring at the end of this term but he’s still got work to do. As chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Stupak will hold hearings on the question of whether BP’s internal cost cutting might be responsible for the disastrous spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Detroit Free Press reports:

U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak said Wednesday that he wants to know whether cost-cutting by BP played a role in the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and will hold a hearing next week to investigate why additional fail-safe mechanisms weren’t required.

Stupak, a Democrat from Menominee, said past investigations into incidents with BP convinced him the company cut safety and maintenance costs to improve its bottom line. He wants to know if it did so with the rig that exploded April 20…

Stupak said while he is convinced officials are doing all they can to contain the spill, he is disturbed by reports that more redundancies could have been built into the rig to prevent a major spill.

The Wall Street Journal reported the well didn’t have a remote switch required in some oil-producing nations. Other reports, including from the Associated Press, said BP suggested to the federal leasing agency in a report last year that it was unlikely any accident would occur that would lead to a huge spill.

He may also want to look into the response of regulators now that it has been revealed that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had warned the Interior Department last fall that they were underestimating the risk of a major spill in the gulf.