I have been reading the May 11 testimony of Elmer P. Danenberger III, who was chief of Offshore Regulatory Programs for the much-maligned Minerals Management Service prior to his retirement, to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, when I came across this recommendation by Dannenberger: 2. Establish an independent authority to investigate offshore accidents, make recommendations, and assess trends. Such an authority was first recommended by Dr. Don Kash, then a professor at the University of Oklahoma, in 1973, following a series of major offshore accidents. Amazing. The recommendation, which makes eminent sense, is 37 years old, and nothing was done. Nor, I’m willing to bet, will anything be done. Anybody want to bet the other way?