PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 11, 2010
BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Inquiry Commission Act of 2010 - Establishes the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Inquiry Commission to investigate: (1) the performance of BP Exploration and Production, Inc., Transocean, Ltd., and other entities affiliated with the Mobile Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon; (2) their compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations (including their conformance with their own practices and industry practices); (3) the performance of federal, state, and local agencies responsible for oversight, inspection, and enforcement; and (4) the compliance of such agencies with federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing their actions.
Requires the Commission to evaluate: (1) current and future impact of the oil disaster on the environment, economy, and public health; (2) the adequacy of the response to the oil disaster; (3) the implications of the oil disaster, and any risk of other such disasters, for offshore oil and gas activities by the United States; and (4) the availability and accuracy of baseline data against which the impact of the oil disaster may be measured.
Requires the Commission to develop recommendations to: (1) improve the response to the oil disaster, including through modification of proposed plans to mitigate and monitor its impact; and (2) minimize the risk and mitigate the impact of future such disasters (including changes to federal law and regulations and improvements in industry practices).
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Sets forth powers of the Commission, including subpoena powers.
People & committees
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] · D–RI
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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