The main task of the bipartisan body, formed by an executive order, is to provide recommendations on how the oil industry can prevent -- and mitigate the impact of -- any future spills that result from offshore drilling.

"Now, this catastrophe is unprecedented in its nature, and it presents a host of new challenges we are working to address," Obama said in his weekly radio address as he announced the formation of the commission.

"But the question is what lessons we can learn from this disaster to make sure it never happens again."

Two-term Florida governor and former senator Bob Graham, a Democrat, and former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency William Reilly, a Republican, will serve as co-chairmen of the seven-member body, Obama said.

"I can't think of two people who will bring greater experience or better judgment to the task at hand," the president pointed out.

He said he will appoint the remaining five members of the panel in coming days. It will include scientists, engineers, and environmental advocates, but no sitting government employees or elected officials.

Even at the lowest estimates, more than six million gallons of crude have flowed into the water since the on April 20 explosion that heavily damaged a Deepwater Horizon oil rig operated by energy giant BP in the Gulf of Mexico and killed 11 people.

Obama said his administration had deployed over 1,100 vessels, about 24,000 personnel and more than two million feet of protective boom to help contain the spill.

"And we're doing all we can to assist struggling fishermen, and the small businesses and communities that depend on them," he noted.

The environmental disaster has prompted calls for a halt in offshore drilling.

But Obama all but brushed off this option, saying he had promised to put the country on the path to energy independence and has "not wavered from that commitment," despite the giant spill.

"Because it represents 30 percent of our oil production, the Gulf of Mexico can play an important part in securing our energy future," the president said.

"But we can only pursue offshore oil drilling if we have assurances that a disaster like the BP oil spill will not happen again. This commission will, I hope, help provide those assurances so we can continue to seek a secure energy future for the United States of America."

The commission will supplement existing government inquiries into the disaster sparked by an explosion aboard a drilling rig last month.

Earlier this month, Obama ratcheted up criticism of BP over the spills, betraying more and more frustration over the company's failure to stop the leak.

A week ago, a visibly angered president hit out at oil companies for trying to avoid blame over a massive slick, and vowed an all-out effort to stop the leak pouring into the Gulf of Mexico.

He slammed the three oil companies linked to the Deepwater Horizon rig -- BP, Transocean and Halliburton -- for seeking to pass the blame, denouncing what he called a "ridiculous spectacle" by their top officials during congressional hearings.

He also accused oil companies of enjoying a "cozy relationship" with federal agencies set up to monitor the energy sector.

The president reiterated his criticism Saturday, saying the disaster "was a breakdown of responsibility on the part of BP and perhaps others, including Transocean and Halliburton."

He promised the government "we will continue to hold the relevant companies accountable not only for being forthcoming and transparent about the facts surrounding the leak, but for shutting it down, repairing the damage it does, and repaying Americans who've suffered a financial loss."

The commission has been asked to issue its recommendations within six months.

earlier related report
Oil and fishing support same families in Louisiana
Grand Isle, Louisiana (AFP) May 23, 2010 - Fishing and the oil industry live side by side in Louisiana, sometimes within the same family.

"Everybody is connected," says Ronald Ledet.

His brother is a fisherman, while he spent eight years on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and his sons have followed in his footsteps.

The oil industry and fishing along with tourism are the economic lungs of this southern US state.

And even though a growing oil spill in the Gulf has confined fishing vessels to their ports and put the brakes on tourism, Ledet argues that people in the area know what they owe to the oil industry.

Sporting a broad-brimmed straw hat, 72-year-old Ledet inspected Saturday gooey oil residue that hit the beach at Grand Isle this week.

Even at the lowest estimates, more than six million gallons of crude have soiled Gulf waters since the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon rig sank spectacularly some 52 miles (84 kilometers) offshore on April 22, two days after an explosion that killed 11 workers.

Just how much oil is gushing from the rig's wreckage has been a major point of contention, with BP initially putting the figure at 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, a day.

Independent experts examining video of the ruptured pipe have estimated that the flow from the two leaks could be as high as 120,000 barrels per day.

Ledet spent seven years in the fishing industry before switching to black gold, and he worked in that industry as an electrician for 30 years, including eight on an oil rig.

His two sons, Ronald Junior and Lance, also work for big oil, while his brother has worked on a shrimp boat all his life.

"After years and years of drilling, it had to happen," says Ledet, looking at the oil washing ashore. "The rigs are all over, you can see it."

Susan Villiere, 52, who lives in New Orleans but has three boats and often comes to Grand Isle to spend the weekend fishing, says the two industries are very interconnected.

"It is so mixed," she says. "It's very good for fishing because platforms attract the fish. I don't have even a friend who wants to shut down the rigs. They are angry not to work. Everybody is angry because they want to see action. But I have not heard even one person who wants to shut it down."

On Thursday, US authorities tripled the size of a Gulf area closed to fishing. As a result, many fishing boats have remained at their moorings.

"We just want them to do it right," Clint Guidry, president of the Louisiana Shrimpers' Association, told AFP. "Many things shouldn't have been tolerated. Everybody needs gas, everybody needs oil. We need it."

In this state where shrimp pizza is a specialty, the Papa Rod, a large fishing vessel moored at Port Fourchon, symbolizes the ties between the two industries.

While technically a fishing boat, the Papa Rod never tried to catch a fish. Its crew is employed by the oil industry.

The boat works at the site of old dismantled rigs and casts its net around them to facilitate fishing for other vessels.

"It's tragic. It's a mess," complains Andre Savoie, the captain of the Papa Rod. "It's going to be very very difficult to fix it. You can't close the rigs."

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News