BP Used Bad U.S. Data on Spills

Why wasn't BP prepared for an oil spill like the Gulf of Mexico disaster? It turns out that outdated U.S. government spill-impact projections are partly to blame: The big oil company's response plan was based upon government models that hadn't been updated since 2004. These lax standards created a sense of confidence in the industry which allowed for poor spill-prevention technology, The Wall Street Journal reports Thursday. "Without question, we must raise the bar for offshore oil and gas operations," a Department of Interior spokesperson said. In the past, what limited research on oil spill effects that had been undertaken had shown how misguided government estimates in place were. In one experiment, predictions of the direction of a staged spill were 300 miles off.