On the sea floor

After the blowout Today’s report suggests changes that would add costs for offshore drillers. One recommendation would require the installation of a device to anchor steel pipe in the well to equipment on the sea floor before an exploration rig leaves the job.

Industry practice up until now has been to delay that work until less costly rigs used to bring a well into production are brought in.

Commission members have also suggested a need for more extensive regulatory changes. Less than a month after the blowout, Obama vowed to revamp a system in which regulators enforcing safety and environmental rules also awarded leases and collected fees.