The federal agency that oversees oil rig safety and leasing of federal lands for drilling has refused to release safety inspection records for Deepwater Horizon in the wake of the explosion that killed 11 people.
A federal Mineral Management Service (MMS) spokesperson told CBS News there were 26 government inspections at Deepwater Horizon over the last five years - but there were no "incidents of non-compliance" leaving BP's rig with a spotless record.
When CBS News asked to see those inspection reports on April 29th it took the agency a week and a half to decide that the public records could not be released because they were "considered part of an ongoing investigation." An MMS spokesperson said in an email, "we need to scrutinize these documents very carefully to ensure they meet legal standards for release."
MMS has come under increasing fire, as critics say it "rubber-stamped" safety checks at BP's Deepwater Horizon rig...
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