Senators push drilling on word of new containment system

The nonprofit MWCC — created by Exxon, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron — is making the system available to companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico. 

“The launch of a new well containment response system is the result of an unprecedented $1 billion joint effort by America’s leading energy companies to ensure that deepwater drilling is as safe as possible,” said Karen Harbert, CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

“Industry has stepped up to the plate, and now government should do the same and end the de facto moratorium to get the Gulf back to work for all Americans,” she added.

A separate company called Helix Energy Solutions Group has also developed a containment system.

Last October the Interior Department lifted a formal deepwater drilling ban imposed after the BP spill, but permitting for deepwater projects has not yet resumed. Interior is requiring companies to show compliance with beefed-up safety standards, including their ability to contain a blowout.