Interior secretary says inspections of 30 Gulf drilling rigs turned up no major problems

Gulf drilling rig inspections find no big problems

VENICE, La. — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says federal inspectors have found no major problems after they looked at 30 offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Salazar spoke Wednesday after touring Breton Island, a historic part of the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana that could be affected by the huge oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. He’s making a few stops along the coast.

He says no significant problems have been identified in rig inspections that started after the Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil has been gushing from an underwater well ever since.

Salazar says minor problems were found on one rig. The inspections should be finished Wednesday.