Critical Lessons from the Federal Response to the Gulf Oil Spill (HSPI Commentary) from the Geo. Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute, August 10, 2010.  While I agree with only some of the authors’ opinions, I think this piece is worth considering.  Readers are invited to comment, of course.

On the topic of what did BP learn,  Al.com ( an Alabama media site) posted Gulf oil spill a learning experience, say BP executives. While it is not entirely clear if BP thinks it has learned, or will learn, from the spill event, it is interesting to note that the firm is required to report out on the topic.

ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and ConocoPhillips said last week that they would create a $1 billion system to handle blowouts and deepwater spills. And … BP had agreed to submit two documents on “lessons learned” after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded — one covering spill containment and response and another on drilling safety.