Obama's oil spill commission to probe disaster

A commission appointed by president Barack Obama to study the causes of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill gives academics and environmentalists a prominent role in making recommendations about the future of offshore drilling in the United States.          

The seven-member commission is tasked with determining what caused BP's Deepwater Horizon explosion, and what should be done to prevent future spills. It is slated to hold its first public meeting July 12-13 in New Orleans, where it will hear from residents affected by the spill.                                           

The panel is co-chaired by Bob Graham, a former Florida governor and long-time Democratic senator, and William Reilly, a former head of the Environmental Protection Agency who now runs an investment group for water projects and companies.                

Reilly, a Republican, has taken a leave of absence as a member of the board of directors of oil major ConocoPhillips for the duration of the commission's investigation.