U.S. lawmakers press BP for investigation of oil slick in Gulf of Mexico

HOUSTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday sent a letter to British oil giant BP seeking a briefing by the end of this month on the company's investigation of an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico that has been traced to oil from the company's blown-out Macondo well, U.S. media reported. Two congressmen, Ed Markey and Henry Waxman, both of whom led investigations of BP following the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, sent the letter to BP CEO Robert Dudley demanding to know the size of the leak, verification that the oil came from a piece of equipment associated with the well as BP believes, and assurances BP is cleaning up the oil and repairing any damage caused by the slick, according to newspaper The Houston Chronicle.

The lawmakers are seeking documents, maps, underwater camera footage and other materials related to the probe, according to the report. "The recent report of a new slick from the Deepwater Horizon's riser raises questions about BP's efforts to stem the long-term impacts of the 2010 oil spill," they wrote in the letter. w

BP spokesman Brett Clanton was quoted as saying that the company has received the letter and will be responding directly to Markey and Waxman.

He said the company will continue to work closely with the Coast Guard and other federal agencies to investigate potential sources of the sheen. The letter followed a U.S. Coast Guard order on Friday informing well owner BP, and Transocean, which owned the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig, that both companies may be held responsible for costs related to identifying the source of the sheen and cleanup. Confirmation that an oil sheen reported Sept. 16 in the Gulf of Mexico is consistent with oil from BP's blown-out well comes at a critical time, as talks intensify about resolving penalties and fines from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The 2010 blowout of BP's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico triggered an explosion that killed 11 rig workers and unleashed the worst oil spill in U.S. history Environmental groups have raised concerns that the drilling of relief wells to cut off the flow of oil and the failure of the original well may have fractured the sediments, causing new leaks. After Hurricane Isaac struck the Gulf Coast earlier this year , reports from several coastal locations indicated the storm's surge had uncovered mats of oil on a number of beaches. Enditem

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