Rep. Pete Olson today issued the following statement on the announcement of the completion of a new system designed to provide rapid containment response in the event of any potential future underwater well incident in the Gulf of Mexico:

“Deepwater offshore drilling is an important component to meeting our nation’s growing energy needs as well as reducing U.S. reliance on foreign sources of oil.  This system was designed to improve capabilities to contain any potential future underwater blowouts that might occur in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Innovations like this system are important for our American energy supply and reflect the collaborative efforts of energy producers to address concerns about safety. 

“As this process moves forward, I encourage the Administration to take notice of this technology and move quickly to approve the permits needed to get the Gulf Coast back to drilling. It’s time for our nation’s domestic energy production to resume so the thousands of people employed in this industry can get back to work.”

The rapid containment system was developed by the Marine Well Containment Company, a non-profit organization located in Houston, TX.  Membership is open to all companies that operate in the Gulf of Mexico.

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