On Thursday, the families of the eleven workers killed on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig met with President Barack Obama at the White House. The family members included Keith Jones, the father of twenty-eight-year-old engineer Gordon Jones, who died aboard the rig. Keith Jones said he hoped such an accident would never happen again.

Keith Jones: “There are so many different ways that oil companies have to make certain that a blowout won’t happen. One by one, those protections fell by the wayside. Corners were cut. Decisions were made — always, always to save money — therefore, to make more money. And should we wait until we make certain that that sort of activity doesn’t take place anymore? Sure. Sure, we should.”

Also at the White House on Thursday were Gordon Jones’s widow, Michelle, and their two-year-old and four-week-old sons.