National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling recommendations to Congress for new spending and regulations. 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,
Reactions to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of one of the country's leading companies", to President Obama (text of letter) that expressed a concern over "double standards" compared to the sub-prime based banking crisis of 2007–2010 and over "prejudicial and personal" comments in the media. Initially BP downplayed the incident; CEO Tony Hayward called the amount of oil and dispersant "relatively tiny" in comparison with the "very big ocean." Hayward also initially stated that the environmental effect of the Gulf spill would likely be "very very modest." Later, he said that the spill was a disruption to Gulf Coast residents and himself adding, "You know, I'd like