Senator Lautenberg intends to find out.
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require oil companies to begin drilling emergency relief wells concurrently with any new offshore drilling sites off the coast of the United States. The idea is to preemptively ensure that the most surefire safety mechanism is in place should major eruptions or spills occur. It would not apply to sites currently operating in the Gulf.
My prediction? The Republicans will filibuster this while simultaneously screeching about how oil drilling needs to be safer and it's President Obama's fault that safety regulations didn't work.