US Presidency
2010

The American people deserve to know why. The families I met with last week who lost their loved ones in the explosion these families deserve to know why. And so I've established a National Commission to understand the causes of this disaster and offer recommendations on what additional safety and environmental standards we need to put in place. Already, I've issued a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. I know this creates difficulty for the people who work on these rigs, but for the sake of their safety, and for the sake of the entire region, we need to know the facts before we allow deepwater drilling to continue. And while I urge the Commission to complete its work as quickly as possible, I expect them to do that work thoroughly and impartially. One place we've already begun to take action is at the agency in charge of regulating drilling and issuing permits, known as the Minerals Management Service.