New Gulf Oil Spill Report Levels Most of Blame on BP

　　A new report by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says the British petroleum¹ company BP was "ultimately responsible" for the worst offshore² oil spill in U.S. history.  The explosion last year aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf³ of Mexico spilled nearly five million barrels of oil and killed 11 workers.

　　It all breaks down to man and cement.  Both get blamed.

　　Government investigators⁴ say the cause of the explosion was a failure in the cement barrier needed to enclose hydrocarbons⁵ at the well base. They go on to blame BP, as the operator of the well, for making a series of bad management decisions.  And again, BP along with Transocean, the owner of the well, for not correcting the mistakes.  Another thing: the well was "significantly behind schedule" and $58 million over budget at the time of the explosion.

　　For three months, millions of liters of oil spewed into the gulf.  Fouling wildlife.  Beaches.  Marshes.  But, now, on the surface, the ocean looks clean.

　　"Mother Nature is just incredibly resilient," said Ed Overton at Louisiana State University has worked on numerous federal research projects on the spill.

　　Tropical Storm Lee last week churned the waters and washed up a few tar⁶ balls, But Professor Overton says that is remarkable⁷ considering the size of the spill. "We had people talking about decades-to-centuries before the gulf would return to normal.  That's just not the case.  You cannot go into the Gulf of Mexico today and find significant damage to the ecology.  It may be there, but it sure is hard to find," he said.

　　His worries still extend offshore, in the deepest of waters.

　　"The damage that's to the smallest of creatures -- the little animals we cannot see with the naked eye. We can't see the damage down there so we only have to surmise⁸ that there was damage out there," he said.

　　Total damage will not be known until a government lawsuit⁹ against BP and other companies is settled. Wednesday's report cited seven violations¹⁰ of federal regulations.

　　BP released a statement saying it agrees with the report's "core" conclusion that multiple events and parties lead to the explosion.  Transocean says the report confirms that the cause was failure of cement, not improper¹¹ maintenance of the blowout preventer.

　　The report suggests numerous industry and regulatory changes.  Some, have already been implemented¹².  But stronger safety measures directly related to the disaster have yet to be passed by Congress.

1 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

2 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

6 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 surmise   

v./n.猜想，推测

参考例句：

• It turned out that my surmise was correct.结果表明我的推测没有错。
• I surmise that he will take the job.我推测他会接受这份工作。

9 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

12 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句