US President Barack Obama has vowed to end the “cosy relationship” between oil companies and US regulators in the light of the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
Promising “relentless” efforts to stop the deep sea leak, he rebuked oil industry executives for seeking to pass on blame for the disaster.
He condemned “the ridiculous spectacle” of them “falling over each other to point the finger of blame”.
Weather forecasts suggest winds may drive the spill ashore at the weekend.
Eleven people died when an explosion destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on 20 April.
Owned and operated by Transocean, the rig had been working on behalf of BP at a well site 48 miles (77km) off Louisiana.
Thousands of barrels of oil have been gushing daily into the sea from the well’s ruptured riser pipe, nearly a mile below the surface.
BP is using underwater robots in its latest attempt to stop the leak, which involves jamming a tube into the pipe to siphon oil to a tanker on the surface.
Mr Obama was speaking after meeting his cabinet and other administration officials in the White House.
“For too long, for a decade or more, there has been a cosy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency [the Minerals Management Service, MMS] that permits them to drill,” he said in the Rose Garden.
“It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies. That cannot and will not happen anymore. To borrow an old phrase, we will trust but we will verify.”
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Mr Obama added, was working on a “top-to-bottom reform” of the MMS.
It was announced earlier that the MMS department which permits oil and gas drilling and collects royalties would be separated from the MMS department in charge of inspecting the safety of oil rigs and platforms and enforcing the law.
Mr Obama said he shared the anger felt by Gulf Coast residents over the spill and the “potential devastation” they faced.
“I know BP has committed to pay for the response effort and we will hold them to their obligation,” he added.
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Article courtesy bbc.co.uk
