the congressional hearings into this matter. executives of bp and transocean and halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else. the american people could not have been impressed with that display and i certainly wasn't. >> president also promised to crack down on federal oversight of the oil industry and its drilling practices. >> for too long, for a decade or more, there's been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill. seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies. that cannot and will not happen anymore. to borrow an old phrase, we'll trust but we will verify. from the day he took office as interior secretary, ken salazar has recognized these problems and he's worked to solve them.