[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 190 (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2548]]
  HONORING THOSE WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO ASSIST IN THE CLEANUP OF THE 
            NOVEMBER 7, 2007, OIL SPILL IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2007

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 
853, authored by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to honor those who 
volunteered to help clean up the thousands of gallons of oil spilled 
from the COSCO BUSAN after it collided with the San Francisco-Oakland 
Bay Bridge on November 7, 2007.
  As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime 
Transportation, I chaired a special hearing of the Subcommittee in San 
Francisco to take a comprehensive look at the circumstances surrounding 
that terrible oil spill.
  I know that San Francisco Bay is as near to the hearts of local 
residents as the Chesapeake Bay is to Maryland residents, and I know 
that it was a love for the Bay, its wildlife, and its sensitive 
environmental areas that motivated local residents to volunteer to join 
the effort to protect these resources from the 58,000 gallons of oil 
headed toward them.
  Unfortunately, a number of the organizational difficulties that 
plagued the initial response to this spill appear to have also affected 
the deployment of volunteers in the area.
  We await the results of a number of on-going investigations of this 
oil spill--including studies being conducted by the Coast Guard itself, 
the National Transportation Safety Board and, at the request of the 
Speaker and myself, the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland 
Security.
  As results become available, we are committed to making whatever 
changes are needed to ensure that the lessons learned from this tragedy 
inform preparations for the next oil spill--which we know will come.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H. Res. 853 and I again commend 
Speaker Pelosi, Congresswoman Tauscher, and the entire Bay Area 
Delegation for their leadership on this issue.
  I also commend the many organizations and individuals throughout the 
San Francisco Bay region who volunteered to respond to this spill.

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