Obama blocking 2010 gulf spill probe?

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama is throwing up obstacles to a review of the final report into last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a Republican critic said.

An oversight hearing at the House Natural Resource Committee was delayed to Oct. 6. U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of the committee, said the delay was because the Obama administration refused to let members of the investigative team from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement and U.S. Coast Guard testify.

"It took far too long for the final report to be issued and the Obama administration is now further delaying proper oversight by suddenly refusing to allow members of the investigation team to testify," Hasting said in a statement.

An investigation by the bureau and the Coast Guard, in a report last week on the gulf spill, blamed BP, Transocean and Halliburton for seven alleged regulatory violations.

"The failure of the cement barrier allowed hydrocarbons to flow up the wellbore, through the riser and onto the rig, resulting in the blowout," the BOEMRE/Coast Guard report said

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the ranking Democrat on the committee, following the report's release, said Republicans had blocked legislation he helped introduce that would improve offshore drilling safety.

The oversight hearing was originally scheduled for Friday.