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Organizational Design for Spill Containment in Deepwater Drilling Operations in the Gulf of Mexico: Assessment of the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC)

Author

Listed:
  • Anderson, Robert
  • Cohen, Mark A.

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Macauley, Molly K.

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Richardson, Nathan

    (Resources for the Future)

  • Stern, Adam

    (Resources for the Future)

Abstract

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 led to the deaths of 11 workers, a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf, and nearly three months of massive engineering and logistics efforts to stop the spill. The series of failures before the well was finally capped and the spill contained revealed an inability to deal effectively with a well in deepwater and ultradeepwater. Ensuring that containment capabilities are adequate for drilling operations at these depths is therefore a salient challenge for government and industry. In this paper we assess the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC), a consortium aimed at designing and building a system capable of containing future deepwater spills in the Gulf. We also consider alternatives for long-term readiness for deepwater spill containment. We focus on the roles of liability and regulation as determinants of readiness and the adequacy of incentives for technological innovation in oil spill containment technology to keep pace with advances in deepwater drilling capability. Liability and regulation can significantly influence the strength of these incentives. In addition, we discuss appropriate governance structure as a major determinant of the effectiveness of MWCC.

Suggested Citation

  • Anderson, Robert & Cohen, Mark A. & Macauley, Molly K. & Richardson, Nathan & Stern, Adam, 2011. "Organizational Design for Spill Containment in Deepwater Drilling Operations in the Gulf of Mexico: Assessment of the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC)," RFF Working Paper Series dp-10-63, Resources for the Future.
    • Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-10-63
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brickley, James A & Van Horn, R Lawrence, 2002. "Managerial Incentives in Nonprofit Organizations: Evidence from Hospitals," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 45(1), pages 227-249, April.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    oil spill; containment; industry R&D; liability; regulation; governance; innovation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q4 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • K3 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law

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