Murkowski, Alaska's senior senator and the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said there appeared to be "multiple failures" that led to the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster, which is still spilling some 5,000 barrels of oil a day. The companies should work together and stay focused on making sure "we never see a disaster of this magnitude again." "The industry as a whole has been harmed as a result of this disaster," said Murkowski, including the future of offshore oil.