On April 20, 2010, the Macondo well blew out, costing the lives of 11 men and beginning a catastrophe that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and spilled over 4 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill disrupted an entire region’s economy, damaged fisheries and critical habitats, and brought vividly to light the risks of deepwater drilling for oil and gas – the latest frontier in the national energy supply. Soon after, President Barack Obama appointed a seven-member Commission to investigate the disaster, analyze its causes and effects, and recommend the actions necessary to minimize such risks in the future. The Commission’s report, supplemented by this Chief Counsel’s Report, offers the American public and policymakers alike the fullest account available of what happened in the Gulf and why, and proposes actions –changes in company behavior, reform of government oversight, and investments in research and technology –required as industry moves forward to meet the nation’s energy needs. The wealth of materials in this book offers new details and documentation in support of the Commission’s final report, Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling , released on January 11, 2011. What the investigation makes clear, above all else, is that management failures, not mechanical failings, were the ultimate source of the disaster. In clear, precise, and unflinching detail, this Report lays out the confusion, lack of communication, disorganization, and inattention to crucial safety issues and test results that led to the deaths of 11 men and the largest offshore oil spill in our nation’s history. This report is an important companion to the full report of the Commission. It stands on its own as well – a durable contribution to our understanding of the importance of responsible management systems and state-of-the art practices, and the dire consequences when they fail.
