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Panel says more action needed to stop oil spills

WASHINGTON — The oil industry, Congress and the Obama administration need to do more to reduce the chances of another large-scale oil spill, a presidential panel investigating the BP well blowout concluded today.

The seven-member panel unanimously endorsed 15 separate recommendations in the wake of the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Many of the proposals will require action by Congress, but some could be done through rule making, primarily at the Interior Department, commissioners said.

When asked about the likelihood Congress would enact some of its suggestions, especially with a Republican majority in Congress looking to curb government regulation and spending, panel co-chair and former Florida Democratic Senator Bob Graham said the magnitude of the disaster “would override an ideological preference for less government, less government intrusion, less government cost.”

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