Lawmaker demands data on amount of spilled oil

A key House Democrat on Thursday demanded the Obama administration release scientific data showing how much oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill poured into the Gulf of Mexico, saying recently disclosed findings might be giving the public "a false sense of confidence."

"Overconfidence breeds complacency, and complacency is what got us into this situation in the first place," Energy and Commerce Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., told administration officials during a hearing.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies recently released a report summarizing how much oil spilled into the Gulf and what happened to it, providing estimates on dispersion and residual rates.

The report estimated that 4.9 million barrels of oil had been released into the Gulf, give or take 10 percent. But NOAA senior scientist Bill Lehr testified Thursday that the administration now estimates that 4.1 million barrels were spilled, give or take 10 percent.

Markey said the scientific data underpinning the report should be released for independent evaluation to ensure the accuracy of its findings.

"You shouldn't have released it until you knew it was right, because so much is going to depend on that release," said Markey, who was the only lawmaker to attend the unusual August hearing on Capitol Hill.

"If it's wrong, then many opportunities for a calibrated response to the defects in the report will have been lost," he added. "That's why it's important for you to surrender this information now to independent scientists."

Lehr said he would "commit today to do whatever I can to speed up" release of the information.

Markey also questioned how much oil remains in Gulf waters or on the shores of coastal communities.

Lehr said "probably three-quarters" of the oil still remains. He said about 10 percent of the oil was skimmed or burned away, adding that the administration has not calculated how much was recovered onshore.

"In my mind that is not passing grade, only 10 percent of the 4.1 million barrels actually being recovered," Markey shot back.

Markey also questioned whether the administration has done sufficient analysis to determine that Gulf seafood is not contaminated from the chemical dispersant used to capture oil, called Corexit.

Paul Anastas, an assistant EPA administrator, testified that all seafood samples from reopened waters had passed sensory testing for contamination.

"Science, to date, also indicates that dispersants do not accumulate in seafood," he said in his written testimony. "Thus, all our evidence shows that seafood from the reopened Gulf waters is safe to eat."

Under questioning, however, administration officials said they had not tested seafood to determine if all the components of Corexit are safe. The officials said they believe the components are used widely and consumed by humans and therefore would not create toxic levels in seafood.