http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011924624_apusoilspillcommission.html
May 21, 2010
The White House plans to name former Florida Sen. Bob Graham and former EPA administrator William K. Reilly to lead a presidential commission investigating the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
By ERICA WERNER and KEN THOMAS
Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON –
The White House plans to name former Florida Sen. Bob Graham and former EPA administrator William K. Reilly to lead a presidential commission investigating the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The appointments were confirmed by two people familiar with the decisions speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.
Graham is a Democrat and Reilly served in a Republican administration, a bipartisan model that follows presidential panels that investigated the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster and the nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island in 1979.
Graham served in the Senate from 1987 to 2005 and previously served two terms as Florida governor. Reilly served as EPA administrator under President George H.W. Bush.
The commission’s inquiry will range from the causes of the spill to the safety of offshore oil drilling and the functioning of the Minerals Management Service, the government agency that grants drilling rights.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House plans to name former Florida Sen. Bob Graham to co-chair a presidential commission to investigate the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
A person familiar with the decision said Graham would help lead the commission, which will be similar to panels that investigated the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster and the nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island in 1979. The person spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement.
Graham served in the Senate from 1987 to 2005 and previously served two terms as Florida governor.
The commission’s inquiry will range from the causes of the spill to the safety of offshore oil drilling and the functioning of the Minerals Management Service, the government agency that grants drilling rights.