House Dems Push Probe Of Trump Rollback Of Offshore Drilling Regs

"House Democrats are pushing for an investigation into a Trump administration decision to roll back offshore drilling safety measures put in place after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.   

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Monday requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO) probe into the federal government’s oil spill response capabilities.

“The Trump Administration’s misguided proposals to expand drilling in most U.S. continental-shelf waters and rollback of important offshore drilling safety regulations may increase the risk of another catastrophic spill. It is imperative that the federal government is adequately prepared to respond to offshore oil spills,” committee leaders wrote in a letter to GAO.

The investigation request comes as Democrats from the House Natural Resources Committee last week requested the Interior Department turn over documents tied to its decision to roll back offshore drilling regulations.

That decision has been a controversial one."

Rebecca Beitsch reports for The Hill August 5, 2019.

Source: The Hill, 08/06/2019