Democrats call on Congress to probe BP shutdown | Politics News | Reuters.com

Democrats call on Congress to probe BP shutdown | Politics News | Reuters.com: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday called on the U.S. Congress to hold hearings into BP's operations in Alaska following a second oil pipeline rupture at its Prudhoe Bay operations over the weekend that will shut the 400,000 barrel-a-day oilfield.

'It is appalling that BP let this critical pipeline deteriorate to the point that a major production shutdown was necessary,' said Rep. John Dingell, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in a statement.

'The United States Congress has an obligation to hold hearings to determine what broke down here and what laws and regulations need to be improved to ensure problem pipelines like these are found and fixed earlier,' Dingell said.

Democratic Rep. Edward Markey, who also serves on the House committee, said the shutdown reflects BP's chronic mismanagement of its U.S. drilling operations and that the company had been earning enough money to prevent the problem.

'With oil above $70 per barrel and BP making record profits, it can afford to properly clean and maintain its pipelines,' Markey said in a statement.

Markey said the Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline "

Also known as "GIMME A BREAK!"
Fact: The futures market drives oil prices up or down.
Fact: We need to find alternative fuel sources (And since we cannot do it as "green friendly France did by getting 84% of their power from Nuclear sources) we need to look at other alternatives.
Fact: Gore's Dad made his money from big oil investments.
Fact: Teddy Kennedy's family owns an oil company.
Fact: Bush's stocks are in a blind account and even if he owns oil stocks he would not know it.
Fact: There is no oil shortage but the futures markets are driving the prices up!
Fact: THE LAST THING WE NEED IS MORE USELESS AND EXPENSIVE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEES INTERFERING WITH ANYONE'S LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fact: If the PEOPLE (Of the people, by the people, for the people? Remember that little clause back before big government became the "savior"?) want to get up off their fannies and do something they SHOULD, but GOVERNMENT SHOULD KEEP ITS NOSE OUT OF OUR LIVES!!!!!!!
Ronald Reagan: “Big government is not the solution, big government IS THE PROBLEM!”