BP halts work on well; federal officials defend lapses in oversight

BP halted most of its work on the damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico today due to an approaching tropical storm.

Still Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a House committee that, after three months, officials believe they are close to ending the flow of oil.

"And as of today we see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a shut in that has occurred at the well and the monitoring that we have required of BP is showing that it is holding, but the weather patterns we are seeing may have some interruption in terms of getting to the ultimate solution here, which is the ultimate kills that have to occur of this well."

Salazar testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He acknowledged shortcomings in the government's oversight of offshore drilling, but defended his agency's performance and urged "collective blame" for the disaster. Salazar also said that the accident should prompt a look at energy policy in the US but that, at the end of the day, the nation's energy portfolio would include oil and gas - a point he said is consistent with President Obama's policy.

Michael Bromwich, director of the newly created Bureau of Ocean Energy, which replaced the widely criticized Minerals and Management Service, said new safety regulations are being implemented.

"These are tough new rules and regulations that govern oil and gas companies as they do work in the outer continental shelf and I think they are fair and appropriate new rules and regulations."

But Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio suggested there could be safety lapses in other areas.  He asked Bromwich about the slow pace of an investigation into BP Atlantis, a larger rig in the Gulf that continues to operate. In February, 19 lawmakers demanded an investigation into BP Atlantis after a whistleblower claimed that 90 percent of the construction plans for the platform were never approved - making response to a disaster uncertain. Bromwich said he had been occupied with Deepwater Horizon since his appointment last month, but pledged to pursue oversight of the investigation, which is scheduled to be completed in September.

Also today NOAA released its report on air quality measurements taken in June. Scientists found that 15 to 70 kilometers downwind from the oil spill, concentrations of pollutants, such as hydrocarbons, were "much higher" than what is found in typical urban polluted air. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, or OSHA, said his agency had taken independent tests and confirmed the same findings.