Oil Spill Commission update

Chancellor Ulmer and the National Oil Spill Commission along with its Chief Counsel are holding a two-day public hearing on preliminary findings regarding BP's Macondo well blowout, Nov. 8 and 9 in Washington, D.C. The primary focus of the hearing will be on the causes of the rig explosion. You may find more information about the Commission's work and live video stream at www.OilSpillCommission.gov.

Agenda: Nov. 8-9 Hearing
The National Oil Spill Commission and its Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit will hold a two-day public hearing on preliminary findings regarding BP's Macondo well blowout.  The primary focus of the hearing will be on the causes of the rig explosion.  An updated version of the agenda follows:

Monday, Nov. 8, 2010 and Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010
Grand Hyatt Washington
1000 H Street NW, Washington, DC  
Live video stream at www.OilSpillCommission.gov.
(Doors open for media/camera setup at 6:30 a.m. both days)  
 
Day 1
8 a.m. On-Site Registration

9 a.m. Call to Order Christopher A. Smith, U.S. Department of Energy, Designated Federal Officer
Opening Remarks by Commission Co-Chairs Senator Bob Graham and William K. Reilly

9:15 a.m. Presentation by Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit

10:45 a.m. Break

11 a.m. Presentation by Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 p.m.  Panel 1: Panel Discussion with BP, Transocean and Halliburton

• Mark Bly, Executive Vice President of Safety & Operational Risk, BP
• Bill Ambrose, Director of Special Projects, Transocean
• John Gisclair, Insite Support Service Coordinator, Halliburton / Sperry Sun Drilling Service
• Richard F. Vargo, Jr., Gulf of Mexico Region Manager, Cementing, Halliburton

3 p.m. Break

3:40 p.m. Panel 1 (cont.):  Panel Discussion with BP, Transocean and Halliburton

5:45 p.m. Closing Remarks by Commission Co-Chairs Senator Bob Graham and William K. Reilly

6 p.m.  Meeting Adjourns

Day 2

8 a.m. On-Site registration

9 a.m. Call to Order Christopher A. Smith, U.S. Department of Energy, Designated Federal Officer
Opening Remarks by Commission Co-Chairs Senator Bob Graham and William K. Reilly

9:15 a.m. Panel 2: Experts on Oil Well Drilling and Operations

• Dr. E.C. Thomas, Consulting Petrophysicist and Owner, Bayou Petrophysics
• Charlie Williams, Chief Scientist, Well Engineering and Production Technology, Shell Energy Resources Inc.
• Steve Lewis, Advanced Drilling Technology Implementation Engineer, Seldovia Marine Services
• Dr. John Rogers Smith, Associate Professor, Department of Petroleum Engineering, Louisiana State University
• Darryl Bourgoyne, Director, Louisiana State University Petroleum Engineering Research and Technology Transfer Laboratory

10:45 a.m. Break

11 a.m. Panel 2 (cont.):  Experts on Oil Well Drilling and Operations

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 p.m. Panel 3: Regulation of Offshore Drilling

• Dr. Walter Cruickshank, Deputy Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

2 p.m. Panel 4: Plans for Regulation

• Michael Bromwich, Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

2:45 p.m.  Break

3 p.m. Panel 5: Industry Safety Culture

• Marvin Odum, President, Shell Oil Company, and Upstream Americas Director, Royal Dutch Shell
• Rex Tillerson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ExxonMobil

4 p.m. Questions and Wrap-Up with Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit and Senior Science and Engineering Advisor Richard Sears

4:40 p.m. Closing Remarks by Commission Co-Chairs Senator Bob Graham and William K. Reilly

5:45 p.m. Break

5 p.m. Public Comment

5:30 p.m. Meeting Adjourns