Washington, D.C. – Chairman Pete V. Domenici today announced that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to examine the effect that the BP pipeline failure is having on U.S. oil supply and what steps may be taken to prevent a recurrence of such an event. The hearing is tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m., Tuesday, September 12, in SD-628.  Witnesses will be announced at a later date.

Chairman Domenici’s statement:

“I am very concerned about the impact of BP’s problems on our domestic oil supply.  I am pleased that BP plans to maintain production on the western side of the Prudhoe Bay oil field, but U.S. production may still be down 200,000 barrels a day for a year or more because of this situation.  I am particularly worried about what the loss of this oil will mean if the nation faces another difficult hurricane season or a harsh winter.

“I want the Committee to look at the situation and explore some options for easing the impact this problem could have on American consumers and businesses.  I am also interested in seeing what the Committee can do, within its areas of jurisdiction, to ensure that a problem like this doesn’t occur again.”

BP has been forced to shut down oil production in east Prudhoe Bay indefinitely because of corrosion in BP’s pipeline delivery system, a feeder system to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.  BP has begun work to replace approximately 16 miles of pipeline, an undertaking that could reduce production at Prudhoe Bay for as a long as 18 months.