Photo of oil and gas explosion in Gulf of Mexico on 2 Sept 2010
New order issued to oil and gas industry to clean up the Gulf
From Denny: Today the President informed the oil and gas companies it was time to get their proverbial act together. They have been ordered to plug those non-producing wells to the tune of about 3,500. The administration also told the energy companies to immediately dismantle almost 650 production platforms that are not in use in the Gulf of Mexico.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said, "This should make energy production in the Gulf safer and prevent potentially catastrophic leaks at wells that, in some cases, have been abandoned for decades." (*** See: 27, 000 Aging Abandoned Leaking Oil Wells in Gulf of Mexico)
Apparently, administration officials like Michael Bromwich, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, are claiming "This initiative was under consideration long before the Deepwater Horizon explosion."
