Gulf spill panel wants Congress to approve subpoena power

[babylonsister]

Gulf spill panel wants Congress to approve subpoena power
By Darren Goode - 11/08/10 04:38 PM ET


Members of the bipartisan commission probing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will ask Congress during the lame-duck session to grant them subpoena power.

“There will be an effort made in the lame-duck session … to secure subpoena power,” said former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), co-chairman of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.

If Congress grants the request, the commission would give its chief counsel, Fred Bartlit, “whatever time he requires” to finish his investigation of the root causes of the Gulf spill, Graham said at a press briefing during Monday’s fourth and final public meeting of the commission. The commission is scheduled to deliver its findings on Jan. 11.

“If we got subpoena power we’re going to ask for more time to write the report,” Bartlit said.

“It’s never too late,” Bartlit said. “My view is this is very important. “

Bartlit would like to further investigate areas where the three companies involved in the spill — BP, Transocean and Halliburton — disagree with his team’s preliminary findings.

The House has twice passed legislation granting the subpoena power but the Senate has not acted.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/128251-oil-spill-panel-wants-congress-to-approve-subpoena-power