going on that night. >> all of the downhole below the surface plug, that was to be at what death? -- a death -- depth.

>> in addition to the casing, there were also two-tasks. are you aware of that today? >> i am aware there would be doing-tests. i am not sure if they did one, or two, to be honest. >> the negative tests were successful? indication. >> that this point in bp's judgment, it was because it was a sealed well bore. it is safe to displace the mud with seawater. >> that is why we do those tests. >> all right. now, the next up in this process after displacing the blood of the riser, was to set the surface plug. wasn't that correct?

>> yes. >> when you set that clock, that was a filler of what dimension? how long would it be? >> it was planned to be 300 feet long. >> it would have been how many feet below the line? >> approximately 3000. >> how many feet above the total vertical depth? >> roughly 10,000. >> and at some point, you said, you were asked a question about the temperature. how is the cbl run? >> on a wire line. >> how you get it down to the bottom? >> you read it up on the derrick. your line operator allows it to a free fall. >> do you need an open well in order to run on? >> yes. >> were you planning on going down through the existing well

bore? >> you would go directly inside the casing. >> what we're going to do about the surface set they were about to set? >> because of the conditions of the cement up, there's not a requirement. >> that is not my question. >> there were no plans to run cbl. >> you said the cbl was something you were considering doing, but this blowout occurred before it could be done. didn't you say that? >> i don't recall saying that. >> the fact is once the surface plug is set, there is no plan to run a cbl, is there? >> the plug will be removed in the future. >> a year from now? >> some date in the future. >> i'm talking about in terms of this well, up until the block.

was there a plan to run a cbl? >> yes. if the cement job was unsuccessful, for the casing, if that job had been deemed unsuccessful, there is a process that has conditions where we would have run a cbl. i am sure someone can supply the documents. >> isn't it a means of determining if it is successful? >> it is one of the methods. >> why did bp have the equipment sent out to the rig if it did not intend to use that equipment? >> it is my belief and knowledge there was no equipment at the gravesite to run that. >> there has been a report in the local paper that there was the equipment necessary to do the log and the workers were sent back to the shore some

hours before. do you of knowledge of that? >> i believe that is an accurate. >> you do not believe there was equipment to run the cbl on the rich get the time of the blowout? >> i am not aware of whether there was or was not. >> the purpose of the cbl, what does it give you? what information with respect to the quality and efficiency of a cement job? >> it is a cement bunk log -- cement bond log. it tells you if there is cement bonding to the pipe. it is a qualitative, not a quantitative means of determining whether or not the cement has been completely sealed against the casing. >> to determine from a qualitative stan. whether or not the job that you intended this meant to perform is going to be performed. >> you will have to repeat that.

>> qualitatively, you want to know, does the cement, which is meant to be a barrier, is it going to work? that is what qualitative means, doesn't it? >> possibly. i am not sure i understand your question. >> you want the cement to be a barrier, don't you? >> it is put in every casing string to be a barrier. >> to be a barrier, it has to work. >> it has to be in place above the zone you are trying to isolate. >> it has to be fulfilling its intended purpose. >> it is one of the barrier methods. but the cement bond log gives you that information qualitatively. >> sometimes. >> it does not give it to you quantitatively. >> yes. i am not a cement bong log expert. -- cement bond log exports. >> isn't it always a good idea

to do one? >> it depends who you are asking. in my opinion, it is not always necessary. >> all right. you had some -- let me see if i can get the red line which -- you had some loss return of the production interval. >> yes, sir. >> loss return of the production interval, what does that mean in everyday english? >> well drilling that section, we lost over 3,000 barrels of mud. >> when you are using 95 cement, it makes the cement leiter. -- using nitrified cement, it makes the cement lighter. when was the model done? >> a week prior to casing. >> that only gives you a hypothetical projections. the reality can only be determined by allowing the

cement bond log. is that correct? >> that is not correct. >> the temperature log, is that a separate log? >> the bond log probably has a temperature function. both of those tools -- you can have a cement bond log with temperatures, more than likely. >> you said the cbl was under consideration when the blowout occurred. tell me, what was the consideration? >> i did not say that. >> i thought you said it was still under consideration. had it been ruled out? did bp decide they did not need one for this well? >> of believe that decision had been made based on the management change document that has a path depending on how the cement job execution occurred. the bond log was not required for this well.

>> not required by mms or bp? >> both. >> ok. for this well to have begun to flow, what had to happen? what had to fail? >> i am not sure. >> let's talk about the possibilities. there are only a couple. >> there are multiple foyt -- multiple failure. . -- multiple failure points. >> for hydrocarbons to enter, there has to be a failure of some point, correct? >> when the investigation is finished, perhaps we will know. i do not think you will occur know how the hydrocarbons entered. >> there there has to reach its let me get back to my original

question. give me the the possibilities that would have allowed this will to flow. what failures with occurred? >> i will not speculate on the mechanisms of the failure. the investigation is ongoing. that is why we're here to answer questions. >> i am not asking you to speculate the -- about the cause. my question is, among the causes, what are they? for example, a cement failure, that is one of the causes, isn't that correct? >> possibly. >> it could of been a collapse of the casing. >> possibly. >> what are the other possible causes down-hole for the

hydrocarbons to enter? >> the hydrocarbons could have been in their prior to the casing. >> that is the case, there would have had to be a failure of the seal. isn't that correct? >> no. >> now, were you or have you been a part of the bp investigation team looking into the actual causes of this failure? >> i am not part of the investigation team. i have been interviewed. i'm not part of the investigation team. >> ok. let me ask you about these casings strings. we have established the original apd called for six strings. is that correct? it ultimately had eight. >> the original design back in

january of 2009, when we started working in earnest, probably prior to 2009, the original design had seven strings. upon review and the process we go through within the expiration department and within the drama department, we go through a series of peer reviews, technical data reviews, risk assessments. the design change from seven strings to six strings based on our understanding. >> i just want the number. >> 6 brings is what was permitted initially. >> ultimately, how many were run? >> 8 strings were required. >> each spring has a certain length that covers. -- each string has a certain length that it covers. how're they put together? are they threaded? >> they are threaded, yes. >> if you look at the will

diagram, it looks like an old, 19th century pirates spyglass, telescope. it is larger, and it gets smaller and smaller. isn't that correct? >> some one might infer that is what it looks like. yes. >> the widest is that the top and it gets smaller and smaller. as these overlaps occur, it is wider, and then there is a narrower, smaller-diameter casing string. is that the way it works? >> yes. >> part of the cementing that takes place that we have been talking about, cement is a run out of a shoe at the bottom, and hopefully run up the sides. >> that is always the plan. >> my question to you is, the very last of these casing

strings, the tapered string, where it fit into the casing string above it, was cement run into that interval? >> there was no plan to bring cement back inside. >> there was above that, correct? >> the cementing that took place was down at the production interval. >> that was part of the job of the cement. >> by regulation, it has to extend 500 feet above that zone. >> that could be correct.

>> did this meant go five under feet above the zone? >> there was a higher hydrocarbon zone. >> between the top of the cement and the next section, was there any cement in that joint? >> the casing does not touch the other casing until you are back to the mud line at the water depth. there is no hang off procedures or additional equipment. you hang of that though wellhead. >> do you have a copy of the drilling program for this well in front of you? let me hand you a copy and ask if you can identify it.

this is what i'm showing him. mms has this in their files. i think we got that from mms. >> this is the drilling program? >> yet today -- yes. january, 2010. >> is very baith number on the document? >> there is not. there are no baith robert -- there are no base numbers. this is something you have seen before? you signed it as "senior drilling engineer?" >> you certain you got that from the mms.

>> i think. i am not sure. >> we never released that. for the record. >> this document is not given to the mms. you got it from another source. >> i do not know the source. that is your signature indicating it was prepared by brian and reviewed by you? >> absolutely. >> in addition to being reviewed by you, it is reviewed by bret? >> it is approved by david sims, bret, eli, the drilling manager of the time. >> in this document, there is an indication on the second page, if you will turn to it, please -- >> you know, we have never seen

this document. in order to address this document, you need to submit it to the board for consideration before we discuss it here. i do not know what they have received from the board. we should not be talking about it. >> well, can we take a break? i will get some copies made. >> this document is over 200 pages in length. >> we can have additional hearings on this. we can do it properly. >> as long as one of the individuals who signed this back, and i can cross-examine them -- >> you can request it and we can consider it. >> thanks. >> i will do that. let me make sure i understand what you're saying. when we resume and one of these

witnesses are here, and i have made copies of this document, and given it to the board, i will be permitted to cross- examine the witness at that time. >> you can request the board to consider it. we believe the witnesses -- the evidence you offer has relevance to this investigation, we would provide it and we could have the discussion during this hearing. >> for purposes of the dedication and for the board's understanding, this is the drilling program for this well. it's as "final drilling program" on it. >> this may not be the final drilling program. there is another version of this program created back in 2009. >> i understand there might have been an earlier version. to understand, is this the

version that was created for when horizon came on location? >> the cover page appears to warrant that statement. >> we wanted to know what directions bp had given its company men and trans ocean. it would be found in this document, or its ultimate version. is that correct? >> that would be correct. >> all right. ok. most of my questions will be

derived from this document. i have a few more, and then i will sit down. the production zone was between what depth and what the? can you give me the parameters of the? >> i cannot give you the deaths. it abruptly in the last section, about 18,200 feet, plus or minus. >> did extend below the production zone? >> it did. several feet below the production zone. >> what is the reason for doing that? >> when you go to complete a well, you need casing below the bottom corp. -- perforation. this is commonly known as a rat hole.

this rat hole, you like to have as much as possible. you try to set that casing as deep as possible below the production interval. >> do you know how long the issue track was on that case in? >> approximately 200 feet. >> 200 feet. ok. what was the pressure rating of the equipment? >> i do not recall. >> one second, please. now, there was a question or two from the board dealing with testing. you understand that when a b.o.p. is tested, the company

men on board sign off on that. you know that, don't you? >> i am aware of that, yes. >> , when it is performed, and the pressures that are bred on that test, are then signed off on by a variety of people, in addition to whoever performed the test. that would include the read management and the bp company men. >> i have never signed off, so i do not know exactly who signed up on them. i'm sure there's a set of trans ocean people and bp folks who sign off on that test. >> looking at the daily reports, you see when the tests are performed yourself. >> i see that there has been a test done. we require a test at least every 14 days. it is a date that is kept close track of during the drilling of the will. >> you were given verbal communication from brian morrell. i am not sure what that verbal

communication included. can you repeat what you said earlier? >> this was 160 days. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> thank you, sir. >> i have a follow-up question. with respect to the cement bong log, will that tell you where the top of the cement was? >> possibly. >> if it was good, or if it was bad? >> cement bond logs are often inconclusive. it is likely that you might get the top, but it is not guaranteed. >> it would probably be a good indication that he would see the top of the cement?

>> from my experience, having run less than a handful of cbl's, i would say he would be able to tell where the top of the cement was, yes. >> thank you. >> can i follow up on that? i want to clarify your testimony when you were being questioned about decisions to run a a bond log. you said that bp and mms at both the enter -- both concurred. >> i do not believe there is anything that says the cbl is required. >> to my knowledge, mms was not involved in any decision to run or not to run a bond log or temperature login. >> we did not request permission, nor do we have to request permission. >> if it is not in the cfr's, perhaps it needs to be. is this cbl -- is it an integrity test?

i understand there is pressure, negatives, and you but with pressure -- you bump it with pressure. >> a cbl is run, most usually -- we have a casing. you run a cbl. it would have been run on this well. sunday in the future, when we bring another rig out, you run the cement bond log to find out of the cement have enough integrity to warrant perforating the casing, doing the completion, and allowing as well to flow to a platform. at that cbl shows there is pour cement, you would do remedial cement job. you have to have a good cement job for production. that cbl is an evaluation tool that is not always 100% right.

there are many factors that can affect the quality. it is not a quantitative to. it does not tell you the exact percentage of cement at any given point. it is a tool in the tool box that has to be used with a bit of caution. it shows there is no cement, two or three years from now, we will do a remedial cement job on that casing. >> i do not know of its purpose. i am trying to relate it to a well procedure, when there is a bonding moment between two plates, and we can non- constructively test through non- particle, and we can determine if a well was bonded. i do not know if this is a tool similar to radiography where we can determine the job was a good deal and move on. >> if it is a good segment job, the cbl tells you it is a good

job. it is not good at telling you if it is less than a good cemented job. it is up to the experience of the people reading it. >> thanks. >> cameron? >> good morning. i represent halliburton. >> good morning. we have not spoken before, have become a sir? >> no -- have we, sir?

>> no. >> there is a decision about running a cbl that halliburton was not involved in, was it? >> halliburton does not direct what logging tools we run on the well. they can make recommendations. >> that was bp's decision. >> correct. >> you are aware that slumber jay had a crew on the rig to run the cement bond log. >> i was not aware that crew was on the rich. >> let me go back to the central misers. >> i talked about that today, sir. >> let me talk to you about it briefly, please. you said you talk about a gas flow pressures. you mentioned that jackie knew about the gas flow pressures. >> i have not talked about gas

flow pressures. >> do you know jesse? >> i do. >> are you aware that jesse and others at halliburton designed the the plan -- designed the plan with regard to the cement job? . >> to be honest, i am not sure how many they ran? >> are you aware that number was six? >> i heard various discussions that that was the case, yes.

>> thank you, sir. yes, sir. >> a good morning, sir. do you know what a lockdown fleet is? >> i am familiar with it, but i have never run one. >> do you know what it does? >> it is prior to installation for completions. >> do you know how it works with the seal assembly? >> not the details, no. >> was a part of the design for this well? >> it was. it had not been installed at the time of the accident. >> yes, sir. >> [inaudible]

any additional question from the board? >> in general terms, back to the central weiser's -- centralizers, who makes final changes to the well-designed? -- well edesign? i guess my question is, it is a group of view. >> it is usually not a single person making a decision for change on a well of this magnitude. ultimately, there is a top signature, but there are three approvals. they are the highest-ranking bp

official, the top approver of that change. >> who would be looking at the daily drilling report, to make sure that the well is going as planned according to the procedures? >> there would be 15 to 20 people. >> who would have the ultimate decision on when you remove or at certain things to reduce it from 21 down to six? >> i am not sure. it depends on who, at the time decided the change was required. somebody made that determination, i don't believe it was made by a single person. i really don't have the facts as to who made the decision that day. >> can i do a follow-up?

i don't want to stay on this log to long, but think is a critical part of the decision making as to why the well blew out. i would like to go back over it briefly. he said he would run a temperature log as part of the evaluation of perforations in producing the well, it is that correct? >> i have never run a cement log personally for that purpose, but i know there used to evaluate the production casing prior to doing the perforating. >> i thought that you were planning to run one in the future. >> someone will run a log on as well. >> it was not your testimony that you were planning to do? >> i will not be involved in the completion of this well. >> to get to my question, and

maybe you can help me with this. if you're going to run a temperature bond log, would you want to do it to make sure it's safe to leave the well in the current condition? >> we have never run that. we have suspended hundreds of wells, every operator in the gulf of mexico does that with our running a bond log. >> even though buyer on testimony it took 3,000 barrels of mud and you had a loss returns material, you have a serious condition. you had a very technical cement job that i don't think is a standard for production casing, so you had some clues here that you might have a cement problem. and to be safe as the operator, you should take some steps to make -- steps to make sure it is safe to leave the well and that

condition. the you feel like bp did that? >> i am going to object. with all due respect, he has come here today -- >> i am asking for his conclusion. >> there are so many things and it is so convoluted. i would ask him -- i think your question is over broad asking for conclusions. the entire basis for answering, can you break it down a little bit? >> i withdraw the question, thank you. >> thank you very much for being here. are there any questions we didn't ask for any information relevant to the investigation the think we should know? >> i have no -- i have nothing to add.

>> if we need you to come back, will you make yourself available to the board? >> i am fully available, yes, sir. >> we will take a break and resume at 9:45. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> the board and no call on transition. please rise and raise your right hand.

the statement given to an agency of the united states is punishable by fine under 18 -- do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> i do. >> take a seat. >> before we begin, are you being represented by transition -- transocean? for the record, can you please state -- sorry, thank you. >> the wish to have counsel sit next to you? ok.

>> for the record, can you please state your full name and spell your last? is your microphone on, sir? >> christopher bernard pleasant. >> by whom are you employed? >> transocean. >> how long have you been a subsidy supervisor? >> approximately three years. >> were there any other position to help? >> i started at the bottom and work my way up from roustabout. >> how long have you worked there? >> about 10 years. >> did you stay on site after the incident?

>> how long did you stay out there? >> we came in friday evening. >> were you able to identify any problems after the incident? >> no, sir. >> have you been contacted by the investigation team? >> yes, sir. >> can you tell me what your educational background is? >> i got through a year-and-a- half of college. >> did you have any well control training? >> yes, sir. i would determine pressure gradings, must wait, different stuff like how long it takes to circulate different things around. >> can you briefly informed the board with your job responsibilities were as a

subsidy supervisor? >> my main duties are well controlled. a lot are deployed on the seafloor, we do preventive maintenance on all of our surface equipment. >> how long have you been there prior to the incident? >> i arrive april 20. the day of the incident. >> were you on the rig the day that it was splashed? >> yes. >> were there any leaks before it was splashed? >> no. >> were you aware of any problems prior to the incident?

>> no. >> did you participate in any daily meetings? >> i went to the meetings. >> the day discussing problems with loss returns, cakes, or anything else the day of the incident? >> the use a the day of the incident? >> i arrived on the rig that day, and the first thing i do is go sleep. i work nights. >> can you tell us what happened up until the time of the incident? >> yes, i can. i arrived on the rig approximately 11:00 in the morning, went to bed. i woke up around 5:00 p.m., got

dressed and went to eat. approximately 530 -- at 5:30, i made some rounds. >> did you have a meeting? >> no, sir. maintenances noon to midnight, midnight and noon. >> after 5:30, what happened? >> basically, you know, i was talking to my supervisor. he was explain to me that they had just finished a negative test. during the test, they felt like they lost approximately 60 barrels through it. they increased their regulator pressure to 1900, and it stopped

leaking. at the same time, you know, the wto-push -- two-pusher was talking to a bp company man. they were saying there was to been -- tubing. he was convinced something wasn't right. he left and went outside. by the time has relief comes up, jason anderson, he is a tube pressure as well. -- pusher as well. listening to them talk, he was

telling the same thing, he could not believe it, but we never really were clear on where the flu when to. it is approximately 10 minutes to 6:00. the bp company man and jason anderson, we have all stopped. he said, the dream is coming on at 6:00 p.m., and he was going to discuss what was going on. so bob leaves, and jason and him are still talking. i was not really paying any more attention to them because i was still talking to mark about the upcoming rate move that we were planning for the next couple of

days ahead. when bob comes back up to the red the floor, he tells jason that this is the way we ought to do it. he is the bp company man, but he says that we need to do it the way jason anderson says we need to do it, >> who is marie? >> was he supposed to be on the rig that day? >> he was not on the rig that day, but his procedure worked better than any other procedures. he is just saying that that was the way we wanted to do it. bob tells jason that don is not going to be on the tower, we have to do it the way he wants to. five minutes after 6:00 person thing, dawn comes to the rig

for, and bob talk back and forth for approximately an hour he was asking if we did this and that, and militarily gathered is that bob wanted to do it according to the apd. so don, the company man, he said that we're going to do something else. he and jason went on talking, and finally dawned told jason that we're going to do it the way murray wants to do it. don tells bob to go tell their boss in houston and that we're going to do a second negative test. bob goes to do it and comes back to the report. he says, what are you doing here.

they were shortchanged. he said, he told me to come back and stay with you for this negative test. he won a both of us up here. we performed the negative test. during the test, we didn't see anything flowback. after the negatives test, don told bob to go call the office and say that they're going to displace the well. bob said ok. jason anderson, we got everybody back together for displacement. we have a pre job meeting on it. just before we started this placing, jason asked me, can i put a thousand psi before the open? i said we can't put any pressure

on it and open it up. he says, let me get one or two strokes on it. i said, i can go for that. after everything got lined up, don said we were ready to go, everybody got in position. we started this placing the well. as they were displacing the well, it took 9600 strokes. for the way we had it, it was like 17, approximately 1750. we had to make sure we don't have over pull on the well head. every quarter, i would event off. we got the strokes, we got them like we were supposed to.

i looked at my watch, it was 10 minutes after 9:00 when i left the floor. i told jason, i said i have to go work on that plane and get it ready. they have to pick up the bop's before we unlatched. i said everything is perfect. he said, you can leave. the next 1015 minutes i spent inspecting everything, letting off tension because sometimes the valves did not close all the way. i go and check all my fluid levels. in the process, i checked all the regulators. the lower one was at 1900. i dropped it back to 1500.

that is normal operating pressure. i get all of that done, i go to the house, that is where the cranium is for picking up the stuff. i'm about to do the next job and inspected. at that time, i heard jimmy page the deck foreman. i said, what is he still doing up? i thought about it, and that evening mark told me to get the charts for that test, and take them and get them typed up and signed. i go to my office. i typed up the paperwork and a ticket to jimmy who was in his office. >> what time was that? >> approximately 9:30.

i am talking to jimmy, i talked to him for fiber 10 minutes. he was asking me about the upcoming rate move. we chatted about the rate move, so i had his signature, i went to the company man office. he was and then there. i went to the bathroom. i finished and come back to the company man's office. he wasn't in there again. some went back to my office, and as i sat down in my chair to save all the paperwork to the computer, i had someone sitting next to me who is looking at the television, flipping through the channels. he said chris, what is the water?

i said it is probably coming out of a whole. >> when you have water in there and break the joint, water comes out. a minute later, he said, icy mud. i pick up the phone in my office to call the floor. no answer. i call all three lines, no answer. i said my buddy and he asked, what is going on? i said, we got to go. i took off running, trying to get through the pool to check down there and make sure it was all right. when i got in the hallway, i saw the electrician. he said, don't go that way. something bad just happened. i said, what? he never said. i ran back up top to the main

deck which is star bird forward, trying to get to the floor. that is where i saw the fire. at the same time, i saw the chief maintenance and asked me, send me some help. he said, i need help, i said, i will send you help. i ran at -- i was coming to the door. the captain told me, calmed down, we are not ets. edsing. -- we are not edsing. he said that there were closed and the alarms were going off. alarms flashing. i said, i am getting off here.

he said, hit the button. everything in the panel felt like it was supposed to, but never left the panel. i had no hydraulics, and at the same time, the captain is over in another area. i heard him ask don, and he said, you haven't already? the captain came back over to me not knowing that i had already hit the button. i said, i already did. i look at steve, and i said i need my supervisor. nohe asked if i really needed h, and i said no, there's nothing he can do. the captain said, abandon ship.

that is why i went to a lifeboat. >> on the control panel, you said that everything looked normal on it? >> when i hit the button, it went through the sequence. >> was before or after the explosion? >> after the explosion. >> he said that the captain was not eds, can you give me some policies you have an activating the emergency disconnects system? >> i am the authority. it is my equipment. in a normal circumstance, the captain can say no. we have different watch circles

between eds 1 and eds 2. >> how much time had amassed after the explosion that the captain told due to, down? >> i would say five minutes. >> to your knowledge, is there any policy to lock out any person of the stack at any time of the well? >> you can lock at different things, but you have to have the approval. you have to submit a form to them to lock out something. they have to agree on it. >> were you aware at any time that it was locked out? or bypassed? >> it was never locked out. >> can the auto share be disabled? >> it can be.

>> was a disabled? >> no, it was on. >> you said you were there when it splashed the stack, and i wanted to make sure that there is no leak on the accumulator system at that time. >> no leaks whatsoever. >> are you familiar with the logic associated? >> i don't understand the question. dodge -- >> from the rig to activate certain things when you hit certain buttons and do certain electronics. there is a logic in tales to tell the stack to do something. do you know if there is any modification to that stack? >> do understand that term? the electronic logic?

>> i don't know. >> ok. what did they do when they come to the rig normally? >> they come to the rate for different problems. if we deem it necessary for them to come out, we will get them out. it didn't come out of every rate move, just when we had a problem. >> [unintelligible] earlier you said you had preventative maintenance on the stack and equipment associated with it. can you tell me what you did? and did you inspect certain functions are components? >> you can't inspect the components until you have them back on the surface.

you inspect it, you'd do changing the oil out, freezing everything up, checking tables, making sure you don't see birds are anything in them. >> do you know if the stack was certified? >> no, because i am not familiar with it. >> are you familiar with the bop assurance analysis on the deepwater horizon stack? there is a study done back in 2001 on the assurance of that stack. they did analysis on the assurance. are you familiar with that study? >> no, sir. i have never seen it.

>> the hazard analysis said the report should be issued to the raid so that all officials can be reminded of the hazards and critical steps associated with running it. are you not familiar with this? >> i am not familiar with it. >> [inaudible] is there a base number? >> the document submitted -- [unintelligible] thank you.

>> are you familiar with that? >> i have never seen that document before. >> have you ever been involved with subsea wells intervention? >> no, sir. >> earlier in the testimony, you discussed that yet been contacted by the investigation team on this incident. has there been any transfer of any problems? >> the investigation team basically explained what you actually said, that is the only investigation i have been through. >> i have a couple of follow-up questions, and i know it may be difficult to go back to this process, but could you go back

briefly to where the event started, maybe give us a little bit slower account of what happened? i got lost a little bit in what you're telling me there. >> that is no problem. at approximately 5:30, i was on the rig. while walked into the drill, i saw my relief over there and i want to talk to him. at the same time, they were talking about the negative test. he was convinced that we lost 60 girls are more. they bump it up to 1900, and it wasn't losing any mud. >> that is the pressure to keep

it close? i just want to make sure i am to stand. >> it takes 1500 psi. normal operating pressure to keep a closed door open. >> a year increased the pressure to keep the clothes? >> yes. -- it to keep it closed? >> did you increase the pressure more? >> they just increased the pressure, it was already closed. >> everybody didn't have the same theory. >> that is what they tried it. >> that is what they tried. after that, bob said that he was

going to talk to don, the bp company man. he came back to the floor, and he was telling jason. it jason anderson convinced that we -- was convinced that we didn't lose any mud. where the tube is, i don't know. he is telling bob that we want to do this negative test the way that ronnie does it. he said that we're going to do it the way don wants to do it. >> is there a difference in the 1 persons test and the other one on the caroline? is that the difference? >> is not my area of expertise how they do it. i just know what i heard.

and even know where i was at. >> there were discussing how they're going to do the negative test and there were two different opinions. >> they had two different opinions about the negative test. donna's talking to bob for about an hour, and at the same time, he is discussing it and getting aggravated about the negative test. he says that we should done this or that. dodd said, i want to do according to apd. -- bob said, i want to do it according to apd. they finally decided they're going to do it the way that murray wants to do it. >> murray is who? >> bp company man.

they call the office and say that they're going to do another negative test. this is a little after 7:00. we do in other negative test. we had no flow whatsoever. in the process, bob shows back up to the writ for. don asked what he is doing coming back up. they were making a short change. one of them was going home the next morning, i don't know which one. anyway, bob tells him that for the boss was to set for both of them to be up there for the negative test. that is what we did. after the negative test, he told bob to call the office and tell

them that we continued the displacement, he was satisfied with the negative test. we had pre job meeting, a line that the displaced well for the sea water. >> were the displacing the well to the pits, the boat? or do know? >> there is no way you can displace the well to the boat. it has to come to the pits. >> regarding this placing the well, you went back to the check? >> no, sir. as we are displacing the well, i am on the red for. i am compensating the over pull. once we finished that job, i looked at my watch and it is 10 after 9:00. i told him that i am gonna have to go work on the crane to get

ready. there's paperwork that we have the sign in the sand and that we inspect. that's before we can pick up the bop's. i went through the milne pool, checking all the valves. you never met them all, sometimes they don't close all the way. you may have to bump them just to get them closed. i did that and went into the room, looked at the pompous, and that is where i adjusted the regulator back to 1500 psi. it is the central control unit. i adjusted the regulators. in that i pushed all the flowmeters back to 0. i went to the gop -- bop house,

inspecting the bop crane. i heard jimmy page dennis, the deck foreman to come to his office. i went and got the casing test, got it typed up, official paperwork, signed it. >> dennis martinez is the deck foreman? that is who he was paging at the time? >> that is correct. we talked about the upcoming rate move. -- rig move.

how long will it take to take the tension out? i said, a day and half. that is how long it will take to change. i said, i have got to go. >> what time was that conversation? >> with jimmy? about 9:30. >> 9:30 as when it started or and it? -- is when it started or ended? >> started, it was about five or 10 minutes. >> go ahead, thank you. >> i left his office and went down the hallway.

he was not in his office. i went to the bathroom. i came back out of the bathroom and went back to the company man's office. i go to my office because i have it pulled up on my computer. >> is your located next to his office? >> just around the corner. i walk around the hallway back to my office, i sit at my desk, i started saving the casing test to the appropriate file, and at that time, the 80 was sitting next to me -- ad was next to me. he said, what is that water? i never looked, i was saving the document. he said, what is that water?

i said, is probably coming out of the whole. when you have water in it any breakage joint, you can't -- you get no flow back. i said, it is probably coming out of the whole, you know. right away, he is flipping through channels, and he says he sees blood in it now. i turned back to look at the tv, because the tv is behind me. you can see the red floor. -- rig floor. he is at my door now. i pick up my phone and dialed 211, 2110, nobody answered. we took off running.

>> was there any liquid or mud? >> i never made it to the moon pool. as the strike again there, chad marie said, i wouldn't go that way. something that just happened. i asked him what, and he never said. i take off running to the main deck up top. that is where i saw the fire. >> did you hear any explosions are noise? >> i heard popping is, but i still to this day do not remember the big boom that everybody heard. i know of my adrenaline was going or what. >> from there, you proceeded to the bridge?

from where you ran into chad? >> when i ran into him, i went back up to the deck trying to get to the floor. from there, when i got on the main deck, that is when i saw fire. dave young was right there, and he said i need some help. i ran to the bridge, through the door, and said, i am heading to eds. the captain said, calmed down, we're not hitting it. he went one way, i went straight to the panel. he was standing by the panel and he said, they have the budget in. the lower handle was closed, and i had a lot of alarms going off. i said, i am getting off here.

four or five minutes later, he told me to hit the eds, i said i already hit it. >> i appreciate your repeating it. >> just to clear the time frame in my mind, you were talking to jimmy around 9:30 or 9:40. did you see him after that? >> i saw him on the bridge. >> how long did you see him on the bridge? >> i don't know. it had be approximately from 9:40 until probably somewhere five minutes to 10. 10, 15 minutes approximately. that is just speculation. >> i am not trying asked for exact times. when your on the rig doing the

test, what type of preventative maintenance did you do to the stack prior to splashing it? >> on a normal rate -- rig move, we change out the bop's, you have to adjust them for different water depth. they made the cables, the electronic cables and making sure that we're not getting water in gresham -- ingression. this move we had changed out of the half inch poses. we made all new hoses and tested them. we change out of the gaskets, all of the filters.

you just want to know everything? >> that is the biggest part of it. >> is there any kind of documentation or checklist that is done? >> yes. >> are you familiar with the logic of the eds system? that once you hit certain buttons, what happens? >> yes. >> is there any way to manipulate the logic to delay at disconnect in case you accidently hit the disconnect. >> know, if you hit the button, that is what it does. >> i have a couple of follow-up questions. could you explain on this stack how the auto-sheer functions?

>> it has to be separation from bop -- they have to lift off of the stack. >> and then the auto-sheer takes over? >> that's right. >> what does it cover? >> the blind sheer. >> [inaudible] >> you have to lose communications in both pods and the hydraulics. >> communication with the rig? >> communication with the pot. they have to lose communication. with the controls. >> [inaudible] the communication between the pot and the rig -- pod and the rig?

where the rig floor is? the pods are located on the bop stack. losing the communication between the pod -- >> and the controls, yes. >> and that is the control you would have? >> it has to lose that power at the panels. >> did you have bop function capability? >> yes. >> when he splashed the stack, [inaudible] >> they open. >> they all open? >> yes. >> are they in the open position or in the neutral position?

>> in the open position. >> what position do you maintain the bop? >> open. >> from your unit, did you have the capability of putting the bop in the neutral position? >> yes. >> doesn't have any effect on the functionality of the control panel on the bridge and the control panel on the floor? >> when you say neutral position, is that like -- >> i don't know. i am going by what they told me yesterday, indicator lights that indicate it is in the open position, the closed position, and the neutral position.

>> of the neutral position is called event. -- "vent." >> can you place the controls in the event position, and doesn't have any affect on the control functions for the bridge? >> no, sir. they are independent stations. >> thank you. >> so if you have the mud flying severed or disconnected, would that be the bop stack or the dead man? >> you have to lose electronics and hydraulics to activate the dead man. >> with both lines severed, it would activate? >> yes, but it has to lose communication in both pods.

>> communication back where? >> communication back to the panel. >> if i several surface activity, the system should activate and closed? >> the dead man system will activate and close. >> what functions on the bop stack is the function? >> the blind sheer. that's correct. >> i have a couple of real quick questions here. yesterday, in talking with him, he indicated that sometimes prior to the actual explosion, he and you had a discussion or conversation in or around the subsidy office. do you recall it? >> i don't recall it.

>> let me go back to the activation of the eds system. you activated it on your own? >> that is correct, i am the authority. >> by your understanding, you don't have asked permission of the captain to do that? >> it depends on the situation. it is just to watch circle, yes, you need provision -- permission. >> is it your understanding about the incident that you had direct authority to execute the eds without asking anybody else? >> that is correct. >> did you ask permission or discuss it? >> i did not. >> concerning activation --

>> my mind was focused on getting off of the well. >> if i understand your previous testimony, you indicate you hit the panel and the lights that you expected to come on activated, is that correct? >> that is correct. he also said, you have no hydraulics. what do you mean? >> no flow. i had no pressure in the system that allowed those functions to work. >> can you assume that when the lights came on, you had no verification that anything had happened? >> i had no verification that nothing happened because i had no hydraulic flow. >> i have no further questions. >> thank you for the clarity of your testimony. it sounds like your account almost every detail, and it is appreciated because this is a

fact-finding body. when did you hear the announcement to abandon the rig? >> i was still on the bridge. i heard the captain say abandon ship. he was talking to us because everybody else was abandoning its. >> what lifeboat or station reassigned? -- were you assigned? >> lifeboat no. 1. when the captain gave orders to abandon ship. >> and you got to the station, what happened? >> of the lifeboat was still there. it was getting ready to leave, but -- >> can you explain -- when the coast guard does inspection on the motives, we want to see you

all going through the activation of the lifeboats and the competency of the people running it. that is where i am going. who is in charge of the station? >> it really wasn't the station when i got there, everybody was in the boat. as far as the lifeboat, i was never down there. i was on the bridge. when i got to the lifeboat, everybody was in the boat. me and don winslow got an -- in. >> can you estimate how many people were actually in the lifeboat? >> i don't know. >> who was in charge? >> in charge was one of the guys off of the bridge. i can't remember his name. >> was it orderly, was there a lot of discussion? what was going on inside of a

life boat? describe that environment for us. >> inside the lifeboat, when i got there, as soon as i got in, they were launching the boat. once we hit the water and we got unlocked, it was just normal. and the the circumstances, nobody was panicking, hollering, crying. they just wanted to get away from the rig. >> have you ever written a life boat down before from the upper station down to the water? >> not a lifeboat, a fast rescue boat, but not a life boat. >> do you know who made the determination to go ahead and lower the boat? was somebody that said, let's get away from here? >> i don't know. when i got there, they were ready to go.

i told them to let me in. [laughter] >> i am with you. is there someone other than him saying let's go? >> i don't know. >> when it got to the water, were they telling them where to go? >> i was standing there. >> did he say anything about not knowing where to go? >> he had somebody up front looking out and telling him which way to steer. >> isn't there a window? >> there is a window, but any time -- another set of eyes is better than at one set. if you have somebody that can help you, let's get all the help we can. >> i completely agree. >> did anyone go outside the

lifeboat? >> there is a hatched up there. >> that is only women got close to the banks, wary ran the boat, you know. >> when you got back down there and you met with chad, he said not to go through there? . . chad, he said what, don't go through there? >> he said don't go through there. something bad just happened. he was gone. >> what did you see? >> i didn't see anything. i didn't go that way. i went another way. i took his word. other than, that i seen in the ceiling dwsh. >> that's what i'm talking about. >> tiles popping, but -- >> okay, all right. when you made your way around, what was the condition of the walls, the bulkheads and the doors? were they blown apart? were they open or were they

intact as they normally were when you walked around on the rig? >> i was wide open running. i wasn't looking, inspecting. i was trying to get to the rig floor. >> when you talked to mr. anderson, why did he ask you to pump up the andular. that seemed to be a side discussion between you and mr. anderson? >> he just asked me. i said no, i can't do it. he said okay. that's as far ast went. >> do you donor mall maintenance on the b.o.p. >> yes, i do. >> when i was cutter it was my job to do maintenance on the gun system, but there was a certain level of maintenance i can do on that. are you restricted to the type of maintenance you can go do on the b.o.p.? >> anything electronic i don't work on. i'm there with the electronic

technician learning, but as far as doing it, no. >> okay. and so you perform normal plann annemaintenance that's identified by transocean to do -- >> that's correct. >> when you splashed the b.o.p. originally when you came on location, was the planned maintenance up to date on the b.o.p.? in other words were there any maintenance requirements that were deferred until later? >> i don't know. >> okay, fair enough. when you got to the bridge -- i'm just trying to capture a sense of thenvironment up on the bridge. who was control on the bridge? who was giving tasking for people to do things? >> i don't know. >> it sounds like you were. you knew your b. >> well, i don't kno what was going on.

you know, you hear people talking, but my mind frame was set on my job, my responsibilities of what i had to do. >> i understand. i understand. thank you very much. i appreciate you being with us. >> mr. pleasant, i want to back up to when you arrived on the panel on the bridge. when you first observed the panel, i believe you said you noticed the lower andular was closed and the diverter? >> yes. >> that's the diverter at the rig floor? >> that's correct. >> so you have that on t panel as well? >> electronically, i didn't close them, so electronically. >> that's what you saw? >> that's what i saw. >> when you function the eds, what is the sequencing of valve closes when you function eds? >> the sequence of valve closing, when you hit -- when you hit eds, everything on the

stack goes to vent. the blind shear rams closes. once the blind shear rams closes, your pod receptacles, they retract, they energize, retract up. once that does, your choke and kill connectors, they unlatch and the lmrp unlatches. >> and it lifts free? >> it lifts free. >> when you got to the panel, and you noticed that lower andular was closed, did you notice any other ram positions on the b.o.p. stack. was there any indication there was any intervention by the rig floor? >> when i got to the panel, i looked at the panel, the only thing that was closed was the low lower annular and the pack.

>> would it give you an indication on your panel as well? >> yeah. >> when you activated the eds and you said you got no floor, would that indicate to you that you lost hydraulic control? >> that's correct. and at the same time, i turned over don vidrine, the bp company man was standing right there. i id don, look at this panel. i say, you see it say eds activated, and everything can vent. >> for it to work you've got to have hydraulic control? >> you've got to have some fluid. >> thank you. i have no other questions. >> just a couple of qstions for you, mr. pleasant. >> who manufactured b.o.p.? >> cameron. >> did you receive any training from cameron on how to train b.o.p.?

>> i went to just a school with him. it's more electronic than actual hydraulics. >> so this is a cameron training course you went to? >> yes. >> it more on electronics -- >> the one i went. they offered several courses. >> and you're not responsible for the electronics on b.o.p.? >> i'm responsible, regardless of who worked on it, i'm responsible for it. >> so you only received training from cameron on the electronics? >> yes. >> be uh you're not responsible for preventive maintenance on the electronics of the b.o.p.? >> i'm responsible. 'sy equipment. just because i have somebody work oingn it, i can't tell management i know nothing about it. >> but you don't do the preventive maintenance yourself on the electronics. >> no, i don't do it myself, but i'm there with him the whole time that he's doing it.

after time, you learn what he's talking about, where they can't tell you anything. >> for the things that you actually do preventive maintenance on, do you know if cameron provides training for that purpose? >> i'm sure they does. i mean, i never researched it. >> right. >> now, when i was on deep water nautilus, there was b.o.p. event log down at subsea engineer room. >> that's correct. >> is there such equipment on the horizon? >> yes, we have a data logger. >> theata logger -- is the data only scored on that computer down in subsea engineering room? >> only in the ccu. >> also in the ccu? >> only in the ccu. >> okay. now, does that data get transmitted to shore? >> no. >> so it only stay onboard the vessel? >> that's correct.

>> thank you, sir. >> transocean, do you have any questions for the witness? cameron? >> good morning, mr. pleasant. i'm david jones. i represent cameron. >> good morning. did you get a statement after

the accident? >> no, sir. i gave that statement in cannon, louisiana. >> that was going to be my next question. you gave that statement when? >> whatever that friday was. >> i have just a couple of questions about this statement. the first line says that you heard a hissing noise and thought maybe the valves of the tensioner bleed down and got stuck. >> that's correct. >> where were you when you heard that hissing nose? >> in my us a.

then you say you went to the bridge and immediately firedhe eds system. i want to focus on when you say you got to the bridge. you went immediately to the panel, is that correct? >> i tried to get to the rig floor to see what was going on. and i didn't make it. then i went to the bridge. >> okay, i understand. i just want to go from the time you go to the bridge. to the br >> okay. >> i understood you to say you then went immediately to the b.o.p. panel, is that right? >> that's correct. >> all right. yesterday we heard some testimony that the panel, the control panel for the b.o.p. and the other sub sea equipment had -- that it looked abnormal -- that there were some lights on that weren't normally on. >> that's correct. >> when you got to the panel did it appear to be abnormal to you? >> yes. because you had the lower

accumulator on. that told me our system has 5,000 psi a that tells m right there the pressure has dropped below our set point, you know, and we normally get that around 3500 psi. >> okay. was there any abnormal lights on the various buttons to accuate the rams? >> no. >> it appeared to you as if it normally does when you would see the panel? >> the panel appeared normal other than the alarms going off. >> okay. so there were lights on for both of the annulars, correct? >> lights on for both of the annulars? >> sure. to operate the annulars, there are various buttons underneath, correct? >> yes. >> and those buttons are in effect lights, correct?

>> that's correct. >> and there were -- those buttons were lit up under both annulars, is that right? >> one was showing closed. one was showing open. >> okay. but both of them had lights on and the lower one was showing what color? >> green. >> and the upper one was showing what color? >> the lower annular was showing red because it was closed. the upper annular was showing green. >> okay. and neither of those were showing vent or yellow? >> no. >> all right. and then as you moved down the stack, the various buttons for the rams, what were they showing? >> everything was showing open in the green position. >> okay. was there a light on under the eds button? >> yes. >> what color was the light under the eds button? >> red for normal.

>> was there a light on under the dead man? >> yes, it was on. >> ll, what color was that light? do you recall? >> i don't recall, but when i come on tower i checked that panel and it was on. >> okay. now, when you hit the eds -- well, first let me ask this -- have you ever hit an eds button before? >> yes. >> when? >> hit it every time we're on the surface. >> just for testing? >> yes. >> okay. in deployment have you ever hit an eds button before? >> no.

>> all right. how mechanically did you go about activating the eds? >> i don't understand the question. >> all right. do you push one button to activate the eds? >> no. >> okay. >> you never push one button on a cameron system. >> that's my question. how do you mechanically go about pushing buttonso activate the eds? >> you got to push an enable button. you got to hold it down. as you hold it down in function you want to fire. >> okay. and that's what you did when you -- >> that's correct. >> all right. when you hit the button, hit the enable, hit the eds button, describe for me what you witnessed happen on the panel. >> as i hit the button, you know, i -- i'm looking at everything go to vent like it's supposed to on the stack, you know, and i glanced up at the flow. i got no flow.

i turned my head from the panel to look over to my other panel, you know, to see what's going on, you know, and still had nothing over there. looking at my regulato, my read back on my regulators and stuff, you know, nothing fell off. nothing moved or nothing. you know, i come back to t panel, you know, just turned my head back to the panel and looked at the top. it showed eds activated, you know, and i looked down and it showed where it had picked up my receptacles, power receptacles. it showed the lights were -- the bottom of the shipams was closed and it was unlocked and everything. >> let me be clear. i believe you said everything was on vent. were some things not on vent? >> everything on the stack has to be on vent because if you don't, if it doesn't go to vent

when the receptacle comes up you still got fluid trying to go through there so your pumps are standing running. that's when the vials on the stack go to vent. >> all right. and you know it's i vent because the light is yellow, correct? >> that's correct. >> was there a yellow light on for the blind shear ram? >> i don't know. >> do you recall after you activated the eds what color light was on under the blind shear ram? >> the green light -- i looked it and it was green. you know, at the same time, you know, after i see i got no flow, you know, i didn't sit there and just confirm which light is which. my next thing was we had to leave. >> okay. so just so i'm clear though, when you looked down after executing the eds sequence, it's your best recollection that you had a green light on for the blind shear ram? >> no.

that's not my best recollection. my best recollection is that i seen it go to close and i saw no flow and i was moving around looking through that panel trying to see what was going on. after i saw that i had no hydraulics i knew it was time to leave. >> and all i'm trying to do is just get yr -- >> weli can't answer your question there. i mean, i'm giving you the best answer that i know that's a fact. >> okay. and do you recall what color lights were on under the blind shear -- >> no. >> okay. you do not. you do t? >> i seen the blind shear rams go to close. i seen them go to close but i didn't just focus my time on to see that the light changed from green or orange or back to red. >> okay. how do you know that it went to close on the panel? >> because i'm looking at it. that's what i told you. i looked at it go to close. >> what specifically on the panel tells you it went to close? >> it goes from green to red.

>> okay. so that's all i'm trying to get at. >> okay. >> you saw the red light come on under the blind shear ram. >> that's correct. >> and what you're telling me is you don't know whether or not it went to some other color aer you saw that. >> that's correct. >> okay the flow meters that you're lking about, those are where on the panel? >> they're at your top -- top right-hand -- you got two panels. you got a left cap and a right cap. your flow meters are in your left cabinet >> which flow meters if you recall, on the left-hand side control panel, top right were you looking at? >> the top was the surface flow meter. >> did you have movement on the surface? >> i had none. >> none on the top right? >> well, you got the surface flow meter, and the blue pod and the yellow pod, and i seen no

flow. >> ok. offer hit the eds sequence, the button arm hit, or enabled eds, did you see any lights blinking? >> say that again. >> when you hit the eds button, did you see lights blink? >> i seen them switch colors. >> did you change colors? >> i don't know, when i didn't see flow, i knew it wasn't working. working. >> w mr. harrell present when you activated the eds? >> i don't know. i mean, at some point in time he

was up there but i don't know who was up there. all i know is the captain and me and i know there was other people up there but who i don't know. >> that was a bad question. was mr. harrell next to you when you first operated the eds? >> no. >> okay. he came up after it had gone through the sequence? >> if he did, i didn't see him. >> okay. >> i saw him up there, you know, at some point in time but i don't remember him coming and standing next to me at the panel. >> i may have misunderstood your earlier testimony. i thought he came up to you and said eds and you said it's already done? >> no. i did not say that. i said that when i walked into the bridge, i said, i eds'ing. e captain told me, calm down, chris. we're not eds'ing. i went to the panel and the bp company man was standing by the

panel. he said, they got the whale shutting in. i said yeah. i'm getting off here. he said get off here and that's when i hit the eds. approximately four to five minutes later the captain come back to me and told me to eds and i told him i already have. >> all right. that's where i misunderstood. it was the captain who came back to you not mr. harrell. >> that is correct. >> okay. thank you for your time. >> you're welcome. >> just one clarification here. so he told you to get off. >> donald madrine didn't tell me to get off. i told them i was getting off anhe just said, get off. >> okay. so you would have done it anyway whether he said get off or don't. >> that's correct. >> okay. halliburton?

thank you, sir. >> no questions. >> joe? >> no questions. >> weatherford? >> no questions. >> annadoco? >> no questions. >> douglasbrown? >> jeff seely. how are you, sir? >> i'm fine. how are you? >> i want to pick up kind of where you left off and think you answered it but i want to be clear. as i understand it you get to the bridge. you say you're going to eds. captain says hold on let's not do it right now, right? >> that's correct. >> and then i think fairly soon thereafter you did hit it, right? >> probably 30 seconds because, i mean, we were right there by the panel and as i tell him, he said, chris, calm down. we're not eds'ing yet and he

went over and talked to whoever was up front doing their job and i did mine. >> did you ever observe t oim subsequently hitting the eds? >> no. >> now, as i understand it four or five minutes later the cap feign came back and said to eds correct? >> that's correct. >> so am i right to say you never informed him prior to that that youit the eds? >> no, i didn't inform him. >> and i also infer that for that four or five-minute perio you would have been up a the bridgehe entire time? >> yes. >> what were you doing? >> what was i doing up on the bridge? >>yeah, during that four or five-minute time between the ti you activated it and the captain came up to you. what were you doing? >> we, what happened was i turned around and i seen steve. i didn't know which way he came in. i said get mark hay up here. i need mark ha steve turned around and looked

at me and he sd do you really need him? i said no. there ain't nothing he can do. i said we ain't got no fluid. all right. so i walked off from the panel. i come back to the panel and that's when i told don, i said look at this panel again. steve, then he turns away and he said, i'm going to the emergency generator room. i said you need me to go with you? he didn't say nothing but i looked out that door and i said, i ain't going. and then the captain come back and said eds and i told him, i already have. >> did you observe what the captain was doing during that four to fe minute period? >> wasn't focused on him. >> was it aft the captain came up to you or you came up to him and the captain told you to not eds, was it after that that he

said abandon ship to everybody? or was it before that? >> that was after he told me to eds. >> how long after? so this would have been again fo to five minutes after he originally told you not to do it, it was some point after he came to you tt he said this. do you know how long? >> it was quick. i mean, i don't, you know, i don't know the time but it was quick. >> and was i at that point when you first left the bridge to go to the life boats or put differently how long after he said abandon ship did you leave the bridge? >> it was quick. >> have you been told about how long before watertarted coming out and mud started coming out that they were experiencing well control issues? >> had i been told that? >> yes. >> i mean, i don't understand the question. >> well, obviously at some point prior to this incident they were

experiencing well control issues. is that fair? >> we had well control issues throughout the well. what point are you talking about? >> well, do you know -- for the time frame of about 20 minutes prr to when the mud started coming out do you know what operations were under way at that time? or do you know if people were dealing with well control issues? >> no, i don't. >> and has anybody told you what the cause of this incident is? >> i'm not here to speculate, you know. just the facts. >> i'm asking you has anybody told you what the cause of this incident is? >> no. >> and when you were up in the bridge did you view that the captai that he was panicked or calm or somewhere in between? >> i wasn't focused on the captain. i was focused on getting off this whale. >> you don't know one way or the other whether he was panicked or

not. >> no. because my attention was not on the captain. >> had you heard, have you hrd from anybody that at any point the captain was playing video games up at the bridge around the time this incident occurred? or any, frankly, i don't know yet, counsel, that he was playing video games? >> i don't, again, i don't know what they were doing. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> bp?

>> may i proceed, captain? thank you. mr. pleasant my name is rick godfrey. pleasure to meet you, sir. i appreciate very much your rather detailed rendition of the chronology on two occasions so i'm going to fill in some gaps. i'm not going to ask you to do it a third time. okay? >> that's correct. >> at any time in the evening of april 20, 2010, did you hear gas alarms go off? >> i don't know. >> at any time did the sprinkler system activate? >> i don't know. >> did you ever hear any radio communications between the deep water horizon to the bangston to move away or move off from where they were located? >> i don't know. >> prior to going to the bridge

did you ever run into david young? >> on the deck. >> okay. had he ever come as far as you can recall to visit you in your sub sea office prior to this incident? >> as far as i recall i don't remember seeing him. >> okay. now, you testified that you went and saw the oim, mr. harrell, between approximately 9:30 and 9:40 on the evening of april the 20th. do you recall that? >> yeah, i recall that. >> now, is mr. harrell's office where his accommodations are or is his office somewhere else? >> his office and accommodations -- i mean, his office is right across from his bedroom. >> okay. and what' your best recollection of the time you left mr. harrell's office? >> my best recollection? you know, like i said earlier, i was -- it was between 9:30 and 9:40. you ow, i can't pin it down to

a certain time because i wasn't watching. >> okay. when you ran into mr. murray, when he told you that something bad had happened, do you recall or do you have an estimate of the approximate time when you encountered mr. murray? >> it would have to be . . you saw the -- >> counsel? >> yes? >> may i interrupt? >> absolutely. >> back to the initial couple questions mr. godfrey asked you with regard to did you hear alarms or did you see something and your response was i don't know, was that because y didn't hear it? that's because i -- i mean -- i mean stuff was happening so fast i don't know what i heard and what i didn't hear. i don't know. i mean, i -- >> yes. i just want to make sure.

>> i mean, i don't know. >> his question was a yes or no answer and i just want to clarify you what meant by i don't know. that's all. >> well, you know, yes or no to me is if i know. i don't know. i don't know the answer. >> i apprecie that very much. >> i'm not trying to help out counsel. >> no, no, no. i mean -- >> i'll take all the help i can get. >> it's not that you're helping him out. i'm under oath. if i don't know i don't kn. >> i'll take the help anyway. thank you, captain. i want to turn for just a minute or so. when you looked at the tv monitor and you were sitting there doing your paperwork, first your colleagues said there was water on the floo >> that's correct. >> do you know approximately what time that wa do you have an estimate? >> i don't -- i guess 9:43.

>> you got me there. okay? fair enough. you then saw or he saw mud on the floor. right? >> yeah. hesaid, i see mud. >> could you see any people around the mud or you just saw mud on the floor? >> i turned. the tv is behind me. i turned back to look at the tv. i picked up the phone, you know, i didn't sit there and watch tv. i dialed to see what's going on. nobody answered the phone. that's when i took out and seen mr. murray in the hallway. >> okay. then i think we've covered the bridge. let me go to earlier in the day. i thi i've filled in the chronology questions i had. you came on duty around 5:30 or 6:00 and you saw -- >> that's correct. >>ou saw a discussion between a number of people regarding negative tests, right? that's correct. >> was that the first negative test? >> that was the first negative test. >> and was the conclusion reached by t crew at the time at the first negative test had been passed ccessfully?

i'll be more specific. was the conclusion that you heard at the time reached by the transocean crew was that the first negative test passed successfully? >> what i heard was bob say that according to the apd that we didn't get a negative test. he was going to talk to don about it. >> he wanted another negative test done, is that right? >> i don't know if he wanted another one or not. all i know, he said according to apd we didn't achieve the results. >> from your observation did the transocean crew appear to conclude that the first negative test had been passed successfully? >> i was making my relief. they was over there talking. you know, you could hear bits and pieces of it but i don't know what they determined. >> was a second negative test

then done? >> yes. was that passed successfully to your knowledge? >> to my knowledge it passed successfully. >> now, you said something about, and i apologize if i misheard this. you sd something about a youtube? >> yes. >> okay. did you know what they were referring to? >> well, i understand that it didn't, the mud didn't go through the annular but a you-tube. i have no idea. >> okay. that was before the second negative pressure test? >> that was before the second one. >> then the second one was done? >> that's correct. >> then it was passed? >> as far as we know it passed. >> okay. just final questions about b.o.p. maintenance. who does or who performed the electronic maintenance on the b.o.p. onboard the deepwater horizon? >> well, it just depends on what kindf electronics it is. we got electronic technicians, you know, if they can do it, if

not, we call cameron. >> okay. you also testified that there were a number of maintenance items that were done prior to the blp splash. do you recall that? >> that's correct. >> okay. do you have a list of the maintenance items that were done prior to the b.o.p. splash for this wall? >> do i have one with me? >> no. a list in your mind perhaps. >> yes, i mean, basically, you know, it's standard procedure that when we retrieve the b.o.p.s we change out all the rubber goods, change out a the rubber goods. as far as annulars we change the ruer goods. as far as going into a piston, that depends on if, you know, we have something leaking or if we cut a window in the casing or something like that, you know. a lot ofhings depend on what happened in that whale. but, you know, like i say, the

normal things are checking accumulator bottles. you have to adjust them for different water depth. you change out all of your filters your pods. you check all of your precharges. you grease all of your valves. check -- grease all your operating valves. check all of your hoses. you inspect your connectors, change out the gaskets in those. that's normal. i mean, it's several other things. if we have any issues with pods or something, you know, we'll work on them. if a valve needs rebuilding. >> prior to the b.o.p. splash for this well, did you change the hoses? >> yes, we did. half inch. >> who changed the hoses? >> sub c support team. >> from transocean? >> that's correct. did you change the batteries?

>> no, sir. >> did you change the hydraulic lines? >> already hydraulic lines. >> did you change any of the electric equipment? >> and when you say batteries, which batteries are you referring to? >> well, let's take the pods. did you do anything with respect to maintenance with the blue pod or yellow pod? >> as far as going into the seals? >> yes. >> no. that was done by cameron. >> okay. are there records of what you did with respect to the maintenance of the b.o.p. prior to the splh from well 252? >> i don't know. i hadn't talked to anybody if uston got them or not. i mean, it was on the deepter horizon. >> would the records and maintenance for the b.o.p. be keptoth on the rig, itself, and in houston?

>> i don't know. >> thank you very much. really appreciate your testimony, sir. >> thank you. >> thank you, sir. mr. pleasant, thank you for coming her today to give us your testimony. are there any questions we di't ask you or any information we should ab ware of that has relevance to this investigation you would like to tell us? >> i have no information. i mean, i gave you everything i knew today. >> yes, sir. thank you. in the future if we need additional information from you would you make yourself available to the board? >> available 24/7. >> thank you, sir. you're dismissed. appreciate it. we'll go ahead and take areak and reconvene at 11:30.

>> tomorrow, justices antonin scalia and steven briaphen brey. >> this holiday weekend, nonfiction books and authors on c-span 2's book tv. three days of book tv on memorial day weekend. >> this treaty before you is an evolution of agreements that go back to the 1970's and

particularly of the agreementsb that started in the reagan administration and then continued in some form in every subsequent administration. >> watched the moments that make history right now on line at the video library. it is available free on line. president obama started his day with -- >> president obama started his day with a tour of a beach where he took a look at the damage. during his visit, he also spoke with the coast guard admiral and thad allen. about five minutes, we will have his remarks to reporters. -- in about five minutes, we will have his remarks to reporters.

>> what i just heard from thad allen was that this parish has been as effective as any in responding quickly.

>> i just had meetings with admiral thad allen who is in charge of response efforts. we have been looking at mitigating the efforts that are being done. the admiral gave us an update with the latest information on the efforts to plug the well as well as giving us an update on arrangements and coordination that is being made with respect to mitigating this damage that has been done. he updated us on these efforts to mitigate the damage to the great beaches of the gulf coast.

i had a chance to visit with authorities and it gives you a sense of what extraordinary efforts are being made at the local level and also the damage that we are starting to see as a consequence of the spill. our mission remains the same as when the disaster began nearly four weeks ago. we want to stop the leak. we want to contain and clean up the oil, and we want to help the people of this region of return to their lives as soon as possible. our response treats this event for what it is, an assault on our shores, our people, the regional economy and on communities like this one. this is not just a mess that we have to mop up, people are watching their livelihoods washout on the beach. there are implications on children's health. residents want this made right and they want to make it right now. i just had a chance to listen

to the mayor, our host, telling us heartbreaking stories about fishermen who are trying to figure out where their next paycheck is going to come from and how they will pay their mortgage or a note on their boat. he is having to dig into his pockets to make sure that some of them are able to deal with the economic impact. this is something that needs to be dealt with immediately, not some time later. that is everybody's striving focus that is standing behind me. this is the highest priority and it deserves a response that is equal to the task. that is why this has already been the largest cleanup effort in u.s. history. on the day that this disaster began, as we launched a search and rescue effort for workers on the drilling rig, we were already staging and equipment in the event of a larger scale spill a week after the platform

sank, we have already stationed more than 70 vessels and hundreds of thousands of feet of productive boom -- protective boom on site. there are thousands of people working on the clock to contain and clean up this bill. we have activated 1400 vessels in the containment effort and we have deployed more than 300 million feet of boom that was just 100,000 yesterday. -- feet of boom. including 100,000 feet yesterday. i expressed to the admiral that he should get whatever he needs to deal with this crisis. whatever he needs, he will get. right now, we are still within the window where we do not know the outcome of the top killed

procedure that was authorized to use to stop the leak. if it is successful, it will be welcome news. if it is not, a team of some of the world's top scientists and experts, led by our energy expert, has been exploring any and all reasonable contingency plans. our response will continue regardless of the outcome of the top kill approach. even if the leak is stopped today, it would not change the fact that these waters still contain oil from the largest spill in american history. it to ensure that we are prepared for that, i have directed secretary napolitano triple resources where oil has

hit the shore. this will further intensify this historic response. it will contain and remove oil more quickly and reduce the time that oil is in contact with our coastline. that means cleaning more beaches and performing more monitoring of wildlife and the ecosystem. we will continue to do whatever it takes to help americans whose livelihoods have been offended by this spill. gulf coast residents -- been of ended by the spell -- upended by this spill. we have ordered bp toupee economic injury claims and we will make sure that they deliver. perished presidents and governors have been notified of

the bureaucratic problems we will have to cut through, but we will cut through them. for those who are in economic distress, if you have already filed a claim and are not satisfied with the solution, then we will point you in the right direction. the small business administration has stepped in to help businesses by approving loans, but also it is important to allow many to defer existing loan payments. a lot of folks are hurting from country and other natural disasters. they may need additional help. if you are a small business owner and you were not aware of some of the programs or have not participated, again, the white house website will direct you to the resources that you need. we are making sure that all the parish presidents are going to be aware of how they can get help from us. we have stationed of doctors and scientists around the area to monitor any ill effects felt by cleanup workers and local

residents and we have begun to set up a system to track these efforts. we have told bp that we expect them to pay for that, too. bp is the responsible party for this disaster. that means that they are legally responsible for stopping the leak and they are responsible for the enormous damage that they have created. we will hold them accountable along with any other party responsible for the initial explosion and loss of life on the platform. as i repeated in the meeting that we just left, i ultimately take responsibility for solving this crisis. i am the president, and the buck stops with me. i give the people of the gulf my word that we will hold ourselves accountable to stop this catastrophe and repair the damage and to keep this region on its feet.

justice will be done for those whose lives have been appended -- upended. that is a solemn pledge that i make. i think that i can speak for anybody here and anybody involved in the cleanup effort and for most americans when i say that i will gladly do what ever it takes to end at this disaster today -- and this disaster today. i also want to repeat that this is a man-made catastrophe. we face a long-term recovery effort. america has never experienced an event like this before. as we respond to it, not every judgment that we make is want to be right the first time out. sometimes -- is going to be right the first time out. there may be disagreements

between officials and between states about what the most effective measures will be. sometimes there will be risks and unintended consequences resulting from a mitigation strategy that we consider. in other words, there are going to be a lot of judgment calls. there will not be a silver bullets or perfect answers for some of the challenges that we face. the sense that any response is inadequate, we expect that frustration and anger to continue until we solve the problem. in the meantime, we have to make sure that everybody is working in concert and everybody

is moving in the same direction. i want everybody to know that everybody here, at every level, is working night and day to end this crisis. we are considering every single idea. admiral allen announced yesterday that after a lot of back-and-forth between experts, he is prepared to of the rise moving forward with a portion -- he is prepared to authorize moving forward. we will see if additional steps can be taken on this barrier island. what i told the parish president and the governor, is that if there is an idea that is shown to work, then we should move forward on it and they deserve quick answers. i remind you that we have to make sure that what we do will work because we are going to have -- we will not have

unlimited resources. we're one to have to make some decisions about how to deploy efforts to effectively. every decision that we make is based on a single criteria. what is one to best protect and nicole the people and ecosystems of the gulf. -- what is going to best protect the people and ecosystems of the gulf. to the local officials and every citizen that calls this area home, and every american who has traveled to the region to lend a hand, if any american is looking for a way to volunteer or hell, we have put links to that information -- volunteer or help, we have put links to that information on our web site. officials want one of the most powerful ways to help the gulf is to visit the communities off the coast. except for three beaches here in louisiana, all of the beaches are open and they are safe and clean. that is always a way to help,

to come down and provide support to the communities along the coast. to the people of the gulf coast, i know you have had a tragedy. there have been times when you have wondered if you are being asked to face this along. i am here to tell you that you are not alone. your not abandoned. you may not -- you will not be left behind. cameras may soon leave, but we will not. we are on your side and we will see this through. we will keep at this until the leak is stopped. that is i promise to you. that is a promise on behalf of a nation.

it is one that we will keep. i will make one last point. i say this to every leader that is here. if something is not going right down here, then they need to talk to thad allen, and if they are not getting satisfaction with him, they can talk to me. if there is an idea, a suggestion or a problem that needs to be dealt with, we are in this together. it is going to be a difficult time and the folks down here are going to be feeling the brunt of it. we will get this resolved as quickly as possible. i want to thank everybody here for the extraordinary work that they are putting in. you should not underestimate how hard these people are working day in and day out on behalf of their constituents.

thank you very much. thank you, everybody. [applause]

>> mr. president, how confident are you that the leak will be deployed soon? >> all i can say is that we have the best minds working on at. -- working on it. >> send me that picture, later. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> tomorrow on "washington journal," a discussion of the crime rate. a look at a veterans' issues.

"washington journal," begins live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c- span. >> the treaty before you is an evolution of agreements that go back from the 1970's. these agreements were started in the reagan administration and continued in some form in every subsequent administration. >> watched a moment that makes history. every program since 1987 available free online. >> arkansas senator plans lincoln is facing a runoff election.

>> and about a week and a half, primary day will be held. this is a runoff between the lieutenant governor and the senator blanche lincoln. she is seeking a third term. the latest polls show that bill halter is ahead within the margin of error. here is a look at the latest advertisement on the air in arkansas. >> i have known built altars sense 1994. >> he would not let wall street gamble with our retirement. >> vote to because of social security and medicare. >> he will be hearing from me. me. >> me.

>> breaking news, t >> at the senate has just passed the wall street reform bill. wall street, they hate this so much, they are livid. >> all the big guns are aiming at her. >> but blanche lincoln is standing firm for arkansas, for historic change. host: and joining us wi some perspective it is andrew. we will have coverage of that tonight on the c-span network. give us an assessment of the race and what you are looking at. >> this is going to be a tight race, based on turnout.

as you said, president clinton will be here today campaigning with senator lincoln at an historically black college near downtown little rock. this is really aimed at turning up the base in the democratic primary. it also shows just how much both sides are focused on turning out the african-american vote. she had won pulaski county, an urban area. bringing president clinton to this school, and i think they're hoping to turn out that though even more. >host: is it safe to say that he has organized labor in his corner?

>> bere the primary, labor was spending $5 million on the race. privately, they say that they are ready to spend a similar amount. they said they ever going to put another $1.4 million into the race, with most of it going into a tv ad buys. the current one is accusing lincoln of turning washington. host: looking at some of the early polling numbers, congressman bozman beats both. >> that is true. whoever wins this nomination will be far behind congressmen bozman.

he won the nomination of right on may 18. he basically gets to sit back and watch them go after each other in this runoff campaign. host: you alluded to this a moment ago, but the issue of turnout in the runoff election. this is the only question on the ballot. >> there will be other races. there is another run off in the second congressional district, a democratic primary. there is another democratic runoff in the first district. you have also got a couple of statewide runoffs, one for land commissioner, another for secretary of state. this one is definitely the most hi-profile. the other races will also affect turnout, especially in central arkansas.

you have a high-profile race where you have the house speaker running against a ate senator who is african-american. that race is heing to turn out the african-american vote. host: andrew >> next, blanche lincoln campaign rally.

>> i want to say what i would say to every person in arkansas, if i could speak to every voter between now and election day. i want you to repeat any of the things that i say that makes sense. i cannot run for anything. what will it be like for people who are not as well-off as i am? will we have people who have a shot at the american dream?

we all know why we are here. right now is about turning out we are here because america is in trouble, arkansas is in trouble and people are mad. there is an article today, it says "polls find anger over country's leaders." people have incomes lower than they were the day i left office. that is not president obama's fault. we only produced 2.5 million jobs before the economic

meltdown. everyone has a right to be mad. there are people getting up every day weapon out of work for over six months. they get up and they look at their spouses and children and wondering if they have left them down. they see these changes going on and they cannot make sense of it. i understand why people are mad. forget about politics. think about your own life. every time in your life that you made a decision that amounted to anything when you were mad is about and 80% signed chance that you met a mistake -- a% chance that you made a mistake. -- 80% chance that you made a mistake. [applause] blanched lincoln's opponents are really telling you to stay mad and not to think.

just go in and blow your anchor. -- vote your anger. if you want somebody who will get up and change your life for the better, you should vote for her. [applause] now, here is what i know. i know that in this miserable economy, these eight years that we just went through, before the financial mess, two-thirds of the american people have low or incomes than the day that i left office and health care costs have doubled and college costs have gone up 75%. before this, she was on the job and she worked hard to get the windmill manufacturers and to save the jobs of the people making refrigerators. she worked hard to put 700

people working in our national forests back to work by giving funds to the national forests. she worked hard to save those tired jobs in texarkana because they have under their -- and that unfair competition. the real problem in america was not trade, but the enforcement of our trade deals that dropped by 80% because we were borrowing money from the same people that were hammer and us on the trade bill -- hammering us on the trade bill. [applause] this is stuff that blanche did before. she got a billion dollars put into the fresh fruits and vegetables program that would give our children and their schools better meals. the biggest public health problem in america, and while she was doing it, she got 80,000 more children free

lunches. [applause] she did all that before she was chairman of the senate agriculture committee. finally, for the first time in my lifetime, we have a chairman of the senate agriculture committee. a lot of my former friends are out here and they understand -- a lot of my former -- farmer friends out here. this goes way beyond this. people in this neighborhood should care about this. agriculture committee controls the child nutrition programs and controls the economic development program for small states, little states and small towns. [applause]

in my last year as president, i had the republican speaker of the house and jesse jackson and we went around america to promote the new markets and initiative. it was designed to give people tax incentives to put jobs any place where the unemployment rate was above the national average for the income was below the national average. but we never had enough money. a lot of times, the small towns got left out. blanche lincoln put $3 billion into that program and arkansas has already gotten $125 million to put people to work. [applause] you can run the numbers.

we are less than 1% of america's population, and she got 4% of the money. that means that she got four times more than what we would have gotten from her efforts. i do not think that we want to give that up. to you want to give that up? do you want to throw out all away -- do you want to throw out all the way? -- that all away. this man had nicer cars in his pocket and his friend saul that instead of cigars, he had dynamite. he asked what he was doing. he said that every time this one man sees me, he slaps me in my pocket and destroys my cigars. he said that next time he does, it will blow his handballs. that is what you are being asked

to do. -- it will blow his hand off. this is what is best for your community and your children and your grandchildren. [applause] now, the second thing that i want to see is not about blanche's opponent, let me show you what i pulled out after the primaries. here is an article from the "washington post." as you read along about the primary, it says that national unions made a decision a few months ago that they wanted to make senator blanche lincoln the "poster child" of what happens when the democrats crossed them.

this is about using you and manipulating your vote to terrify members of congress and members of the senate from other states. if you want to be used that way, have at it. every vote that they cited, one of these issues, blanche voted a way that i would not have voted. every vote that they cited, if she had voted the other way, it would not have changed the outcome, but it would have defeated her. they it meant that they do not necessarily favor her opponent. they want to make for a poster child. they want you to be something besides a boater for your children and your future, they want you to make a poster.

if you want to do that, go back to grade school. if you want to vote for somebody who will fight for you, vote for blanche lincoln. [applause] everybody you talk to says that they do not like washington, everybody is fighting all the time and they never get together. if you want to make washington more like it is, vote against blanche lincoln. vote for this poster child strategy. back off in your corner, stop talking to each other, don't ever make a deal and don't talk about how you are going to solve a problem. if you vote against her, it will make washington more like what you don't like. you will get the very thing you do not want. have you guys seem the advertisement on television with that lady says that blanche lincoln voted to make sure that

her poor sick child could not get health insurance because they cannot charge you for pre- existing -- not cover you for pre-existing conditions. have you seen that? >> guess what, unlike the vote that they want to make her a poster child over, if that that were true, health care will have failed because blanche lincoln cast the decisive vote that would make sure that we would cover everybody with sick children. shame on them. [applause] now, i want you to go out and tell all of your friends and neighbors that if you want to be the instrument of somebody else's will and you want somebody to come in and make a bogus ad, by all means, say that you are in the message sending business.

i voted in arkansas so i could intimidate a senator somewhere else. so i could intimidate a house member somewhere else. she voted for the health care bill. it is illegal not to cover people who have a pre-existing condition and now you can not charge them more. that is one of the main points of the bill. this is a job. [applause] you might be interested to know, blanche told me that the lady in the ad called her office and thank her for voting for health care. who knows why she made the ad. this feels like a washington

campaign. this is the kind of game they play in washington. this is not us. this is not what we do. we talk to each other. when i went to washington, i had to go to washington to find out what a bad person i was. one day, i read something in the paper in washington and i asked fred smith if he read this article. he said yes. i asked him what he thought of it. he said they were talking about somebody that he is not familiar with. they perform reverse plastic surgery on you. even if you are pretty, they can make you ugly. it is all a game. this is not a game. this is your life. this is your life, this is your children, this is your future. this woman has worked her heart out. i will tell you one problem she

has, she was not governor before she became a senator. she got into politics when she was young. she got into family when she was older. on some weekends, if she had been a man, she would have been at home. i say that that reflects well on her. she did not lose the votes. -- she did not lose any votes over with. -- over it. [applause] her opponent is trying to make for a poster child. that is not what we do here. this is too important. she has done too many things. she can help to change the future for countless numbers of arkansans.

do i like her? yes. will she cast the hard vote? you bet. republicans wrote that she is not pure enough, but they have to make her a poster child. they say that she supported the president too much. kids in this college and others can get out of college and always pay it back at a limited percentage of their encounter that this will allow thousands and thousands of kids to finish on time in their college studies. they don't like that. [applause] she got national guardsmen included in the new gi bill and now they will be able to go to college here and other places in arkansas. she is about changing people's lives. this is about you.

and not about me, not about interest groups, and it certainly isn't about making a poster child. this is about you, your grandchild and your future. we need to keep blanche lincoln working for us in the united states senate. [applause] >> isn't he incredible? [applause] i don't know about you all, but that is the bill clinton that i love. i love him. he is amazing. [applause] did anybody see the arkansas in him coming out?

mr. president, thank you very much for being here today. thank you all for being here. a very special thanks to general wesley clark who has just been a fabulous friend and a great supporter and i want to say an unbelievable thanks to these incredible legislators standing behind me who work day in and day out to make this a great. they are wonderful. -- to make this state break. they are wonderful. thank you for your leadership. all of the people that are here, i cannot think them enough for the incredible support and willingness to see beyond what is happening here. i am so grateful because the

president brings to this discussion an incredible knowledge, having been in with so many of these individuals. this is not about me. it is not about bill halter. this is about our state. it is about the people of our state and whether we will allow our vote to be blocked or misconstrued -- to be bought or misconstrued. this is bigger than me. it is bigger than this election. it is all about whether we are going to love the tide of this nation turn and feed on the ability of those that just want to spend a lot of money misrepresenting who we are and what we are about. that way they can make people even more mad. i do not know about you, but i am tired of that anger.

[applause] there are so many other people to thank. all of you that are here, i have campaigned across this state and i have heard arkansans. i have heard when they say they are frustrated with washington and they are mad and angry. it is so critical that we channel that anger and that madness to the appropriate place. i listened to our good friend the other day that told me that when our country was in trouble, when i was a small girl, and we were in the depression, we didwe came together to make our country stronger. that is what we need to do right now in this election. [applause] i just want you to know that i

hope that as arkansans, the example that we will be will be an example of people that understand and cherish who we are and what this nation and our great state mean to was and that we will come together and make it strong and we will not let other people's anchor and madness divide us, but we will see the ability to become stronger. i know that people are frustrated. i have been frustrated, too. a i will do everything that i can, but the first thing that i have to remember is that this is a job. he is exactly right. whether it is the most ambitious child nutrition bill in the history of a program that i was able to pass in a bar putting some -- in a bipartisan way and pay for it, or whether it is fighting to eliminate the kind of greed on wall street that has put our children's

college funds at risk, our retiree's retirement at risk, our small banks and our other banks at risk. it is because it is important to us to arkansas and the rest of economy. [applause] they make my wall street bill about this election, they say that i am doing this because of the election. that is absurd. the bill that i produced it is produced because i looked and listened to you.

i looked at my savings account and i saw what happened. i realized that this is not about this election. it is about helping families pay for college and protecting those retirees and ensuring that our small businesses can grow the jobs that they need to grow. that is absolutely the reason behind what we have done. the president is right. i stood up to the d.c. union. unfortunate for them, i did not support their wanting to take away the private ballots. i have been using a private ballot since i ran for student body president in high school. i do not see anything wrong with keeping that ballot private. this is about so much more. i do not want to be a poster child unless it is for you. unless it is for the things that are important to you as

our kansas and that is exactly what we will be fighting for -- important to you as arkansans and that is exactly what we will be fighting for. [applause] it this campaign has become about something that is not arkansas. this campaign has become about proving a point. not just me being used as a pawn, but you as well. i have to tell you, my vote in washington has never been for sale, and yours should not be either. [applause] [applause]