Obama´s first meeting with oil spill commission by Zuzana Zelenakova

On Tuesday, US President Barrack Obama met the chairmen of an independent commission investigating the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico for the first time. The commission´s goal is not only to find out the exact cause of the environmental catastrophe but also to further ensure the safety of off shore oil drilling in general, which includes investigating government agencies that regulate this industry. The meeting comes three days after the British energy company BP, which is officially held responsible for the accident, announced that its latest attempt to stop the underwater gusher in the gulf had failed. The current estimate is that 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of oil pour i! nto the Gulf waters each day. On Tuesday, Obama met with the co-chairmen of the commission Bob Graham, former Florida senator and governor, and William Reilly, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Five members of the commission are still to be selected. "They have my full support to follow the facts wherever they may lead, without fear or favor," said Obama after the Tuesday meeting. The current administration is now dealing with the worst environmental disaster of its kind in the history of the United States, it affects not only the environment, but also the economy and way of life in the coastal areas. After more than 40 days since the explosion on the drilling platform Deepwater Horizon the public unrest and frustration in the US escalate and Barrack Obama faces one of the biggest challenges as a president so far. He announced publicly that all efforts concerning shutting the leaking well must be left to BP as US do not possess technology required for the ! task. BP will try to shut off the floe Wednesday by placing a ! cap on t he well so that the oil can be captured and directed to the surface.

related story (sgx17452): http://www.france24.com/en/20100601-obama-meet-oil-spill-com...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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