APNewsBreak: Fed oil rig regulators to examine blowout preventers to assure they’re safe

APNewsBreak: Feds to examine blowout preventers

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators say the unchecked Gulf of Mexico oil spill is making them reexamine if the last-resort cutoff valves on wells are reliable enough.

Deputy Director Walter Cruickshank (KRUHK’-shank) of the Minerals Management Service said during an Associated Press interview Friday that his agency had been comfortable that the huge blowout preventers worked well — until now.

He said the incident is going to make the agency reexamine that assumption.

The massive valves weighing up to 640,000 pounds are designed to stem blowouts on exploratory wells. However, they didn’t stop the Deepwater Horizon gusher that is fouling the Gulf. Regulators want to know why.