The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling is a presidential commission, established by Executive Order 13543 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 disaster.

The Commission's purpose is to:

• Examine the facts and circumstances to determine the cause of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster
• Develop options for guarding against future oil spills associated with offshore drilling
• Submit a final public report to the President with its findings within 6 months of the Commission's first meeting

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling's Final Report:

• Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling, Jan. 11, 2011

Key Publications of the Commission:

• A Brief History of Offshore Oil Drilling, Aug. 23, 2010
• The Amount and Fate of the Oil, Oct. 6, 2010
• The Challenges of Oil Spill Response in the Arctic, Oct. 6, 2010
• The Use of Surface and Subsea Dispersants During the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Oct. 6, 2010
• Decision-Making Within the Unified Command, Oct. 6, 2010
• Preliminary technical conclusions of the BP Oil Spill Commission, Nov. 8, 2010
• Mabus Report, Nov. 16, 2010
• Response/Clean-Up Technology Research & Development and the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Nov. 22
• Stopping the Spill: The Five-Month Effort to Kill the Macondo Well, Nov. 22, 2010
• Liability Caps and the Financial Responsibility: Summary, Dec. 1, 2010
• The Story of the Louisiana Berms Project, Dec. 16, 2010

• The History of Offshore Oil and Gas in the United States (long version), Jan. 11, 2011

• Industry’s Role in Supporting Health, Safety, and Environmental Standards: Options and Models for the Offshore Oil and Gas Sector, Jan. 12, 2011
• Federal Environmental Review of Oil and Gas Activities in the Gulf of Mexico: Environmental Consultations, Permits, and Authorizations, Jan. 12, 2011
• Natural Resource Damage Assessment: Evolution, Current Practice, and Preliminary Findings Related to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Feb. 7, 2011
• Rebuilding an Appetite for Gulf Seafood after Deepwater Horizon, Feb. 7, 2011
  
• Offshore Drilling in the Arctic: Background and Issues for the Future Consideration of Oil and Gas Activities, Feb. 7, 2011
  
• The National Environmental Policy Act and Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Activities, Feb. 8, 2011
• A Competent and Nimble Regulator: A New Approach to Risk Assessment and Management, Feb. 8, 2011

Research

The Commission and staff consulted with a number of outside experts as part of its investigation and research. The following reports were submitted to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling at the request of staff, but the report is not the work product of the Commission or its staff, and should not be construed in any respect as the official or unofficial findings, opinions, statements, or recommendations of the Commission or its staff. All findings, opinions, statements, and recommendations contained in these reports are solely those of the authors.

• Resources for the Future Oil Spill Commission series
• Insurance and Safety Incentives, Professor Thomas W. Merrill, Columbia Law School, Jan. 11, 2011
• Analysis of Well Containment and Control Attempts in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Blowout in MC252, Tyagi, et al., Louisiana State University, Jan. 12, 2011

Testimony Before the Commission:

• John M. Barry, Sept. 28, 2010
• Garret Graves, Sept. 28, 2010