Congressmen call hearing on Gulf oil spill; request testimony from BP, Halliburton

Congressmen call hearing on Gulf oil spill

NEW ORLEANS — Two congressmen will hold hearings to investigate how well companies have responded to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Reps. Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak sent letters requesting the testimony of officials from BP America, Transocean and Halliburton. BP operates the rig, which is owned by Transocean. Halliburton worked on the rig not long before the explosion.

A date has not yet been set for the hearings.

The hearings also will look into how recovery efforts are going, and what the companies’ safety measures were before the April 20 blast that caused the spill.

The explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, which is operated by BP, killed 11 people. The resulting oil spill is threatening the Gulf Coast’s delicate ecosystem.