As a result of the federal government probe into the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, regulators recently cited BP, Transocean and Halliburton for a number of alleged safety and environmental violations that stemmed from the blast last year.
According to The Associated Press, the companies will now have 60 days to appeal the citations, which were issued by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).
“To ensure the safe and environmentally responsible conduct of offshore operations, companies that violate federal regulations must be held accountable,” BSEE Director Michael R. Bromwich said in a statement, the AP reports. “The joint investigation clearly revealed the violation of numerous federal regulations designed to protect the integrity of offshore operations.”
The action came just ahead of a new study from the Natural Resources Defense Council that found outdated testing techniques were used to determine the risk of cancer-causing contamination in seafood affected by such spills. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the study found the evaluation process underestimated potential risks for pregnant women and children.
Using modern oil spill cleanup methods and products such as Impact Absorbents’ Oil Select Sock can help prevent such contamination and leave only clean water behind.
