[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 189 (Tuesday, December 11, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H15259-H15261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THOSE WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO ASSIST IN THE CLEANUP OF THE 
            NOVEMBER 7, 2007, OIL SPILL IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 853) honoring those who have volunteered to 
assist in the cleanup of the November 7, 2007, oil spill in San 
Francisco Bay.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 853

       Whereas the oil spill that occurred on November 7, 2007, in 
     the San Francisco Bay resulted in the discharge of between 
     53,570 and 58,000 gallons of toxic bunker fuel, causing one 
     of the Bay Area's worse environmental disasters;
       Whereas 28 beaches were closed and over 1,300 birds so far 
     have been severely impacted by the spill;
       Whereas thousands of individuals throughout the San 
     Francisco Bay Area immediately volunteered to assist with the 
     cleanup;
       Whereas Bay Area community non-profit organizations, such 
     as San Francisco Connect, have also rallied to support the 
     response and recovery work by supporting these volunteer 
     efforts;
       Whereas Bay Area environmental organizations, such as 
     Baykeeper, Save the Bay, and the Bay Institute, have provided 
     invaluable leadership in reporting, assessing, and helping to 
     remediate the damage to the Bay's ecosystem;
       Whereas the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's 
     Associations, members of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners 
     Association, commercial crabbers, and other Bay Area 
     fishermen have all joined the cleanup efforts as well; and
       Whereas the city of San Francisco, particularly through its 
     Department of Emergency Management, has significantly 
     contributed to the overall response, bringing considerable 
     resources to bear: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors those 
     individuals and organizations who have volunteered to assist 
     in the cleanup of the November 7, 2007, oil spill in one of 
     our Nation's most beloved national treasures, the San 
     Francisco Bay.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Tauscher) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House 
Resolution 853, introduced by my good friend and distinguished Speaker 
of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
  This resolution honors thousands of volunteers who helped clean up 
the Bay Area's beaches and wildlife after the harmful oil spill of 
November 7 of this year. The public's response to 58,000 gallons of 
fuel polluting the bay typified how the San Francisco Bay community 
comes together during a crisis. Our Bay Area constituents were eager to 
volunteer their time and help minimize the negative effects to the Bay 
Area's fragile ecosystem. For days and days after the spill, they 
cleaned birds and combed the shoreline for oil residue, and in some 
cases put their own health at risk in order to protect our bay.
  In order to coordinate the volunteer efforts, numerous organizations 
mobilized their members in support of the cleanup, including Save the 
Bay, the Fishermen's Association and the Crab Boat Owners. I am so 
proud of our Bay Area constituents, how much energy they showed, how 
much passion they showed, and such dedication that they showed to the 
bay during this environmental disaster. These volunteers deserve 
recognition from the House of Representatives.
  I strongly support House Resolution 853.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 853 honors the efforts of all of those 
that volunteered to assist the response to the recent oil spill in San 
Francisco Bay. Last month a cargo vessel collided with a span of the 
San Francisco Bay Bridge, resulting in a gash to the vessel's hull and 
the release of approximately 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into the bay.
  Following reports of the oil spill, the Coast Guard, with its 
Federal, State and local government partners, initiated a response to 
the spill which has resulted in the deployment of 440 personnel and the 
recovery of more than 4,000 cubic yards of oily solids.
  In addition to the critical work performed by the Coast Guard and 
other government officials, literally thousands of volunteers have 
assisted in cleanup operations at beaches throughout the San Francisco 
Bay Area. Volunteers have assisted professional cleanup crews in 
removing oil from beaches and have reported sightings of oil-affected 
areas and impaired wildlife to oil spill response personnel.
  Additionally, volunteers were required to undergo at least 4 hours of 
hazardous waste and emergency response training before participating in 
the cleanup efforts.
  I want to commend the Speaker of the House, Ms. Pelosi, and join with 
her today in thanking these volunteers and honoring their efforts to 
respond to this unfortunate event.
  I also want to take time to thank all of the Federal, State, and 
local officials for their efforts to contain and minimize the 
environmental and economic impacts of the spill.
  I urge all members to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 853.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.

[[Page H15260]]

  Mr. Speaker, I want to speak personally from my position as someone 
who lives in the Bay Area. I live on the east bay in Alamo, California, 
far from where the spill was. But I have to tell you that of the 8 or 9 
million people that live in the Bay Area, not one single one was 
completely unaffected by what happened on this terrible day of November 
7. Many of us are deeply concerned that this was an accident that 
shouldn't have happened, that this was something that may have been 
prevented. And I have to commend the Speaker and the delegation from 
the Bay Area for moving very quickly on a bipartisan basis to begin 
hearings to be sure that we actually know what exactly happened so that 
it can be prevented in the future. But today we're really here to 
celebrate the thousands of Bay Area members that came forward so 
quickly to volunteer to assist in the cleanup of the bay at a time when 
it was in great jeopardy, at a time when they put their own health at 
risk when, for many of them, it was as simple as just going down the 
road to the beach near their house and attempting to do whatever kind 
of cleanup they could have.
  The environmental impact of the spill is still being felt, and 
certainly for the wildlife of the Bay Area, it is still a question of 
how many will survive in the long term. When you have this kind of 
bunker oil, which is pretty toxic stuff, come into the bay and flow on 
to these wild fowl and other animals, it puts them in great jeopardy.
  We believe that in San Francisco the bay is a national treasure. We 
believe it is not only a source of environmental pride, but it is also 
a place where many thousands of San Franciscans and Bay Area people 
work. We have obviously a very big crab industry, a big fishing 
industry; and tourism, of course, is a big part of what we do in the 
Bay Area. So we are deeply concerned about what happened on November 7.
  But I think that this is a good time to celebrate the activism and 
the volunteerism of people of the Bay Area and the San Francisco area.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I would advise my friend and colleague 
from California that I have no further speakers at this time and would 
reserve until she finds herself in a similar position.
  Mrs. TAUSCHER. The Speaker became as concerned as we all were 
immediately upon hearing about this, and brought the California Bay 
Area delegation together to understand what we can do in our Federal 
capacity to move this issue. And it was the Speaker's intention today 
to speak about the volunteerism of the Bay Area people. Her speech will 
be in the Record.
  At this time I ask all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 853.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, again I yield myself such time as I 
might consume just simply to thank the honorable Speaker of the House 
for introducing this resolution and, again, to commend the selfless 
acts, thousands of selfless acts of the volunteers in the San Francisco 
Bay Area, also my good friend on the Transportation Committee, Mrs. 
Tauscher, for her stewardship of this bill. I urge passage.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents in San 
Francisco and my colleagues in the Bay Area delegation, I want to thank 
Chairmen Oberstar and Cummings, and Ranking Members Mica and 
LaTourette, for their cooperation in bringing this resolution to the 
floor.
  The San Francisco Bay is one of Northern California's most precious 
resources. Its biodiversity and fundamental role in commerce and 
recreation make it essential to the vitality of the entire Bay Area.
  The Bay is special to San Franciscans. We bring our kids and 
grandkids here to play and learn about the environment. We surf and 
sail. And we appreciate the precious ecosystem that exists on the 
beaches, in the estuaries, under the water, and in the nearby National 
Marine Sanctuary--the Gulf of the Farallones. So protection of this 
Bay--its safety and its health--has always been a high priority. Any 
harm to the Bay is a serious matter, and when disaster struck on 
November 7th our community was quick to respond.
  Thousands of Bay Area residents immediately volunteered to clean 
beaches, rescue wildlife and undo the damage caused by this devastating 
spill. City officials worked with federal authorities on a volunteer 
management agreement to train and deploy local volunteers who were 
qualified to assist with difficult shoreline and wildlife recovery 
efforts. As a result, over 1,000 members of the Bay Area community were 
quickly trained and credentialed.
  In addition, community non-profit organizations such as San Francisco 
Connect and the San Francisco Volunteer Center rallied support; 
environmental organizations like Baykeeper, Save the Bay and the Bay 
Institute offered their expertise; and the Pacific Coast Federation of 
Fishermen's Associations, members of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners 
Association, commercial crabbers and other Bay Area fishermen offered 
their equipment and experience.
  Today's resolution honors all of the individuals, organizations and 
officials who volunteered their time, their skills and their energy in 
response to this disaster. Their commitment to both the environment and 
their community saved wildlife from oil residue, protected the Bay's 
ecosystem and made our beaches safe again for Bay Area families.
  As it says in the Bible, `to minister to God's creation is an act of 
worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.'
  To all of those who ministered to the Bay, I thank you as a San 
Franciscan, as one who is honored to represent our great city in this 
House, and as Speaker of the House.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 
853 honoring those who have volunteered to assist in the cleanup of the 
November 7, 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay.
  My district lies roughly 50 miles south of the area affected by the 
oil spill. Even though they were not directly affected by the spill, 
the institutions and people in my district offered their help and 
support to their northern neighbors. The Marine Wildlife Center at the 
Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz treated birds injured by this spill, the 
NOAA Weather Service in Monterey played a pivotal role in providing 
wind and sea forecasts necessary to predict the spill's trajectory and 
assist in containment, and local organizations such as the Santa Cruz 
Surfrider Chapter organized volunteers to assist cleanup efforts in the 
San Francisco Bay.
  I am proud of all of the people who unselfishly volunteered to assist 
the cleanup. Their unselfish response to this environmental disaster 
highlights just how important marine resources are to our communities. 
But, despite our best intentions ``business as usual'' is killing our 
oceans. We can no longer rely on the generosity of the citizens of this 
country to clean up the mess created by big business and poor 
governance.
  When my constituents invest their valuable time to take care of the 
environment, I take notice. Actions speak louder than words, and with 
their actions in November, the people of the Central Coast are asking 
us to do more to ensure that we protect the environment while we 
conduct our business. If there is one thing that this oil spill shows, 
it is that if we don't make protecting the environment a higher 
priority, it will come back to haunt us . . . look at climate change.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, we were reminded about just how fragile our 
waterways are when a ship ran into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge 
and spilled 58,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay. The spill 
spread and soiled the pristine beaches of Marin County, in my district. 
It also threatened the Point Reyes seashore and restoration projects in 
Richardson Bay and San Pablo Bay.
  Thousands of volunteers, including many of my constituents, spent 
countless hours cleaning up. Fishermen volunteered their boats and 
their time to help with clean up efforts. Without their help, the 
cleanup efforts would have taken much longer, more birds could have 
died, and more of the oil would have been unrecoverable.
  Unfortunately, not enough training sessions were offered and many 
potential volunteers were turned away from helping with the clean up 
efforts because they lacked the necessary training. We need to learn 
from this and provide more training opportunities and better utilize 
potential volunteers.
  As we move forward, we must also look into new technologies to 
prevent spills and protect water and beaches. In Marin County, booms 
across Bolinas Lagoon and Drakes Estero failed and left these areas 
vulnerable to oil spill contamination. We need to ensure that we have 
enough equipment to respond quickly and effectively, especially for 
areas somewhat distant from spill mobilization centers. We also need to 
ensure that we have enough people trained to handle this equipment and 
manage the response efforts at these sites.
  Thank you, Speaker Pelosi and Representative Tauscher for your 
leadership on this resolution. Thank you to my constituents and to all 
the volunteers who assisted with clean up efforts.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 853 and 
to honor those selfless individuals who volunteered to help cleanup the 
recent San Francisco Bay oil spill.

[[Page H15261]]

  On November 7, a cargo vessel inexplicably collided with the San 
Francisco Bay Bridge, spilling more than 58,000 gallons of toxic bunker 
fuel and causing one of the worst environmental disasters the region 
has ever seen. The impact on wildlife and surrounding beaches has been 
extremely detrimental, with over 28 beaches closing and severely 
impacting wildlife all around the bay.
  However, in a strong testament to the American spirit, through this 
disaster we saw resolve and self-sacrifice. I am extremely proud of the 
thousands of individuals from around the area who immediately 
volunteered to assist with the cleanup. Bay Area non-profit community 
organizations like San Francisco Connect have supported the response 
and recovery of volunteers, while Bay Area environmental organizations 
like Baykeeper, Save the Bay, and the Bay Institute have provided 
invaluable leadership in assessing the damage and remediating this 
beautiful ecosystem.
  Specifically, I want to recognize two of my constituents, Lynn Adams 
and Deborah Nagle-Burks who, with the Pacifica Beach Coalition, 
solicited volunteers while working through red tape to make sure anyone 
who wanted to participate in the clean-up was able to. They remain 
involved, and have advocated for a proactive approach to training 
volunteers before a spill occurs so that the response of local citizens 
can be faster and the damage limited.
  In addition, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's 
Associations, members of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners 
Association, commercial crabbers, and other Bay Area fishermen have all 
joined the cleanup efforts, making an indelible contribution.
  The collaborative effort of state and local agencies deserves our 
thanks as well. The City of San Francisco, particularly through its 
Department of Emergency Management, has significantly contributed to 
the overall response.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to all the volunteers 
who have given their time, the fishermen who have given their boats, 
and the first responders who have given their expertise to this clean 
up. Without the extraordinary efforts of these men and women it is 
certain the scope of damage to the fragile Bay ecosystem would be even 
greater than what we face today.
  I will never cease to be proud and amazed by the dedication of my 
constituents and of the American people. This why I rise in very strong 
support of H. Res. 853. It is my hope that this resolution will be 
swiftly passed and the selfless individuals who volunteered to clean up 
the oil spill will be duly recognized.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Tauscher) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 853.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________