BP Oil Spill Commission Wrapping Up Hearings

(Washington, DC)  --  The presidential commission investigating the BP oil disaster is wrapping up two days of hearings in the nation's capital. 

The commission's probe has uncovered no evidence that anyone cut corners on safety to save money.  Nevertheless, panel co-chairman William Reilly ripped the three companies responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in April: BP, Halliburton and Transocean.  He cited a "culture of complacency" and said all three companies are in need of "top-to-bottom reform."  The deadly explosion unleashed an unprecedented gusher of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.  Co-chairman Bob Graham cited a series of "almost inexplicable failures in the hours leading up to the disaster."  Florida's Graham is a former U.S. senator and governor.  Reilly is a former administrator of the EPA.  The latest hearings were scheduled to present preliminary conclusions by the commission, pending completion of a final report.