we defer to the interior department and all the other agencies that are involved. >> mr. riley uses a term " defense in depth" which means that you don't just rely on one entity. you have multiple entities in the individual operator's and the industry as a whole as well as a governmental regulators. when you give yourself a rating of 5-6, were you talking about to get to the establishment of the standards? or on a scale that has as 10, implementation of a full-scale program similar to the fact that inpo had? >> i am talking about the consideration of a program. >> you can anticipate that in about 60 days, you will get a request for a report card. >> mr. chairman, if i might -- mr. ellis, when you tell us that you have 26 members, i was going to ask how many members -- how many prospective members or people that are operating better not members? after you told me that in order to get insurance, you had to be a member. i realize that you had 100% participation among nuclear operators. that is a tremendous leverage point, shall we say. i was trying to make the jump between somethi

. >> thank you, mr. riley. our first panel is on the history and expansion of offshore drilling. we're fortunate t have three stinguished witnesses. r first presentation will be by mr. j. robinson west, ceo of pfc energy. >> good morning. we advised many of the world's leading oil and gas companies on strategy and market solutions for the industry. we have been retained by bp on certain matters relating to the macondo spill and therefore i cannot comment on that at all. the 1981-1983, i served as the assistant secretary of the interior with responsibility for u.s. offshore oil leasing and policy. i developed a schedule and manage the $14 billion per year program which was the largest nonfinancial auction on earth that that point. during my time in interior, the program was surrounded by bitter controversy. i was confronted by an unloving itics and uncritical lovers. it critical lubbers urged to step open up all federal waters to leasing and virtually give the leases to the industry with little or no regulation. that struck me then and now as a very bad as illegal idea. likewise th

. >> thank you, mr. riley. our first panel is on the history and expansion of offshore drilling. we're fortunate to have three distinguished witnesses. our first presentation will be by mr. j. robinson west, ceo of pfc energy. >> good morning. we advised many of the world's leading oil and gas companies on strategy and market solutions for the industry. we have been retained by bp on certain matters relating to the macondo spill and therefore i cannot comment on that at all. the 1981-1983, i served as the assistant secretary of the interior with responsibility for u.s. offshore oil leasing and policy. i developed a schedule and manage the $14 billion per year program which was the largest nonfinancial auction on earth that that point. during my time in interior, the program was surrounded by bitter controversy. i was confronted by an unloving critics and uncritical lovers. it critical lubbers urged to step open up all federal waters to leasing and virtually give the leases to the industry with little or no regulation. that struck me then and now as a very bad as illegal idea. like