Archive
As BP Works Through Backlog, Cleanup Worker Illness Stats Triple Since Prior Report
Following questions about its data, the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command is now reporting more than 300 cases of illness among cleanup crews working on the Gulf oil spill, an increase from 86 cases in a report a week earlier. A BP employee speaking for the response team said the increase was due partly to a backlog in the recording of incidents.
Alhurra’s Effectiveness, Expense Criticized in New Senate Report
Findings in a new U.S. Senate report that questions the effectiveness and costs of continuing Alhurra are leading to renewed calls for congressional hearings on the government-run satellite channel and the broadcasting agency that oversees its work.
OSHA Director: Offshore Cleanup Workers Will Get More Training
The head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the safety course for oil cleanup workers on boats in the Gulf will increase from four hours to eight. The expanded preparation will include training on chemical hazards.
Gov't Watchdog: Offshore Drilling Regulator Has Too Few Inspectors And Poor Training
In congressional testimony, the Interior Department inspector general says the Minerals Management Service relies too heavily on the oil and gas industry to report accurately on the work it is doing.
New Documents Show BP Made Little Progress on Alaska Safety Issues From 2001 to 2007
Six years after a scathing 2001 internal review of BP's Alaska operations found that the company wasn't maintaining safety equipment and faced "a fundamental lack of trust" among workers, a follow-up study concluded BP had made little headway in addressing those concerns.
Oil and Gas Lobby, Unfazed by Gulf Disaster, Defends Regulators and Status Quo
Despite documented problems in offshore drilling regulation, the oil and gas industry, not surprisingly, is defending the authority of the Minerals Management Service and the status quo on regulations.
More Companies Knew About Tainted Drywall but Stayed Quiet -- and Kept Selling It
At least a half-dozen homebuilders, installers and environmental consultants knew as early as 2006 that foul smells were coming from drywall imported from China – but they didn’t share their early concerns with the public, even when homeowners began complaining about the drywall in 2008.
GE Violated Danish Drug Reporting Law in Omniscan Case
Danish drug regulators concluded in a ruling last month that GE's health care unit failed to promptly and completely inform regulators about a patient who died after experiencing adverse effects from the company's MRI drug Omniscan. Though that's a violation of Danish law, the regulators said the statute of limitations had expired and they wold pursue no further action.
Gitmo Judge Recuses Self After Complaint Based on ProPublica Interview
A federal judge has recused himself from a case challenging the detention of a Gitmo prisoner after the detainee’s lawyer complained that views he expressed in a ProPublica interview meant he couldn’t be fair. The plantiff's lawyer said the comments of Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that "How confident can I be that if I make the wrong choice that he won’t be the one that blows up the Washington Monument or the Capitol?" could drive him to deny her client’s request for release.
