BBC News, this is Mike Cooper.

A United States presidential commission investigating last year's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has recommended a series of wide-ranging reforms. In its final report, the commission calls for the creation of an independent safety agency, tougher government regulation, and more money and training for federal agencies. From Washington, here's Paul Adams.

The report urges adoption of a safety case approach similar to that used in Europe's North Sea since the British Piper Alpha disaster in 1988. This requires that companies conduct a thorough evaluation of all risks associated with drilling a particular well before work begins. In a strongly-worded statement, one of the commission's co-chairs, William Reilly, said last year's accident was the almost inevitable result of years of industry and government complacency and carelessness.