BP Engineer Who Called Oil Well a 'Nightmare' Refuses to Testify Before Federal Commission
Brian Morel, the BP engineer who called the Macondo oil well a "nightmare" has refused to testify in front of the presidential commission investigating the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
Today, Brian Morel used his Fifth Amendment to avoid answering the commission's questions. In June, government investigators uncovered a chain of emails from Morel which detailed there were issues with the well before the April 20th explosion.
In the emails, Morel speaks of BP's decision to use fewer centralizers, which help stabilize drill pipes but cost money and time to install: "Hopefully, the pipe stays centralized due to gravity. It's too late to get any more product to the rig." He also tells a colleague, "This has been a nightmare well which has everyone all over the place."
Currently the commission is holding its fourth round of hearings. The only others which have failed to testify are the two top BP employees on the rig at the time of its explosion. Robert Kaluza has used the Fifth Amendment, while Don Vidrine has not testified due to illness.
Read the full story at MSNBC: BP engineer who called well 'nightmare' won't testify
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has researched and reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change for over two years. He has provided research to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published on different media outlets including, The Energy Collective.
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