Deepwater Horizon Hearings Postponed

The week started on Monday with numerous BP representatives not showing up to the Deepwater Investigation Hearings, listing continued injury and their 5th amendment rights. Late yesterday it was announced that Chief Engineer Steve Bertone would join the rig’s Captain and OIM as persons of interest, a designation Captain Kutcha’s lawyer said ,“means you’re a target”.

In shocking news today all Transocean employees scheduled to testify tomorrow, including Mark Hay, the Sr Subsea engineer aboard during the blowout, have refused to attend. Their lawyer stated that the USCG has not provided critical documents needed to prepare for the case. This has caused investigators to delay the hearings until Thursday. Transocean executive Dawn Winslow, who was on the Deepwater Horizon when she blew, has requested that his hearing be postponed until August.

The true reason for these cancellations is not fully clear. The most likely reason is fear of repercussion in light of the panel’s recent moves towardscriminalizing those who worked aboard the Deepwater Horizon. A move that might punish the wrong people but will certainly dampen efforts to discover the facts critical to preventing future accidents.

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