The federal probe into the oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico has come across difficulties, with leaders of the investigation saying that companies involved in the BP spill are obstructing the investigation’s efforts.
Co-chairman on the investigation, William Reilly has told that a number of crucial people have refused to comment on record about the drilling at the Macando well and the subsequent disastrous oil spill. While he said some witnesses to the lead up to the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe are cooperating anonymously, other refuse outright. He did not specify which companies he was having problems with.
President Obama tasked the commission with pinpointing the exact causes of the disaster so that proper precautions could be set in place to ensure a repeat performance is never seen. That was back in May, and the investigation has been struggling ever since.
As yet the commission does not have the power to compel witnesses to testify under subpoena, despite the House twice voting to give such powers to the investigation. The bill is currently stalled in the Senate amid larger tussles around energy issues and so the commission has to work without compelling authority at this stage.
The investigators are determined to get to the bottom of the case, but say that without compelling power, they rely on the voluntary giving of information, which they fear will not be enough to uncover the truth about the oil spill disaster.
The commission is due to release its preliminary findings in November and the complete report in January.
