As we saw from Ed’s list of the main recommendations from the National Commission into the BP oil spill, they were pretty much what we were expecting from the overnight reports. But a few interesting pieces of information arose from the press conference.

Here, in no particular order, is what we learned:

Here is the list of the National Commission’s main recommendations following the BP oil spill.

• Offshore drilling can be done safely, and US oil reserves in deep water and the Arctic are vital resources that the country will need
• A government safety agency should be set up to oversee offshore drilling
• Offshore regulators including the Interior department and the coast guard should be given significantly increased funding
• The oil industry should create a “self-policing entity” to establish and enforce safety standards
• Companies should have to show they have the technology to control an underwater blow-out before they are given permission to drill
• The government should develop the expertise needed to assess and supervise the control of blow-outs
• The $75m cap on the liability faced by companies in the event of a spill (which has been voluntarily waived by BP) should be substantially increased.
• 80 per cent of the penalties for the spill imposed under the Clean Water Act should go for long-term restoration of the Gulf of Mexico
• The US should launch an immediate research program into the issues raised by possible  drilling in the Arctic, and begin talks with other countries such as Russia and Greenland that plan to develop Arctic reserves

Much of this was leaked this morning.

The final report has been published, and you can find it here. You can also watch the press conference live here.

Our latest analysis can be found here. And we will be bringing you regular updates as this story unfolds.