Lax approach to safety issues The last line of defense in accidents such as the Deepwater Horizon explosion is a device called the blowout preventer, which has a emergency shear ram designed to slice through the drilling pipe and seal it. Six years ago, a consultant hired by MMS noted that newly built rigs might be unable to shear pipe "at their maximum rated water depths." The consultant, West Engineering, faulted "the lack of preparedness in the industry to shear and seal a well with the last line of defense against a blowout." MMS alerted offshore oil companies to this potential problem but never required a more reliable last-ditch safety system. As offshore drilling expanded, fines and civil penalty cases for violating safety and environmental standards declined. Last year, MMS collected penalties in 20 cases, down from a high of 66 in 2000. Fine amounts also dropped from a high of $3.1 million in 2007 to $919,000 last year.