Former Oil Executive Weighs In On Gulf Oil Spill

With pressure tests underway on the new oil cap, one local man is closely watching the developments in the efforts to seal the BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Before becoming risk manager for the city of Palm Desert, Gary Rosenblum served 17 years as a senior adviser of risk and safety policy for Arco.

He left the company in 1999 right before BP took control of the company. He said he believes the federal government made the right move in having BP go slowly before beginning to close the valves on the new cap that was put in place over the gushing well on Monday.

“They just have to be careful about the pressure issues and not damaging the areas below this cap,” said Rosenblum. “It would be sort of like if you shook up a can of soda and the sides of the can ruptured; you lose all the soda. It’s a problem obviously if they go back and create a worse gusher than what was there before.”

Rosenblum said when he worked for Arco, environmental protection and safety always came first, but when BP took over that philosophy went out the window.