Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events

An investigation of blowout preventers

Here.

Note special guest appearance in the article by MMS:

^The government has long known of such problems, according to a historical review conducted by the AP. In the late 1990s, the industry appealed for fewer required pressure tests on these valves. The federal minerals service did two studies, each finding that failures were more common than the industry said.^

^But the agency, known as MMS, then did its turnaround and required tests half as often. It estimated that the rule would yield an annual savings of up to $340,000 per rig. An industry executive praised the "flexibility" of regulators, long plagued with accusations that it has been too cozy with the industry it supervises.^

Obviously, we need regulators to regulate the regulators. Then probably regulator regulator regulators.

It's "watchmen" all the way down.

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