National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling The National Commission on the BP "Deepwater Horizon" Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling is a bipartisan presidential commission, established by Executive Order signed by Barack Obama on May 21, 2010, that is "tasked with providing recommendations on how the United States can prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling." It came about as a result of the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The first public hearings, held on July 12 and 13, 2010 in New Orleans, included scheduled testimony from
Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies spill that released more than 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico between April 20, and July 15, 2010, created a unique opportunity to address many of the long-term issues fundamental to the Gulf’s future sustainability. HRI scientists have and continue to provide leadership in assessing the long-term impacts of the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry and are fostering the Gulf’s recovery by helping guide restoration to assure that conservation efforts are effective and long lasting. HRI has already influenced the allocation of billions of dollars toward Gulf restoration and