Outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar described the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill as one of the signature issues during his term because of the way the U.S. government responded and its dedication to Gulf Coast restoration efforts. Salazar said that oil and natural gas drilling operations in the U.S. are much safer now following the incident. "I don't believe we will ever see a runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico the way we did with the Macondo well, and that's because we have Helix and [Marine Well Containment Co.], and industry knew we were serious," Salazar said.