| GEO World | | US presidential commission to probe Gulf oil spill | Updated at: 0908 PST, Tuesday, May 18, 2010
HOUSTON: US President Barack Obama will create a presidential commission to probe the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and energy giant BP said on Monday it had "turned the corner" in its efforts to contain it.
The commission, which Obama will establish with an executive order, will be similar to those that looked into the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 and the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979, an official said.
It will investigate issues related to the spill and its aftermath, including rig safety and regulatory regimes at the local, state and federal levels.
The federal government's oversight role, environmental protections, and the "structure and functions" of the minerals management service, the interior department agency that has been heavily criticized for its regulatory practices, also will be on the panel's agenda.
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