[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 155 (Friday, October 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 22, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration of the bill (H.R. 3619) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 
     2010, and for other purposes:

  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the manager's amendment 
and the underlying legislation.
  I thank Chairman Oberstar for his hard work on this bill.
  As someone who represents over 200 miles of coastline, I am keenly 
aware of the importance of the Coast Guard and this legislation.
  H.R. 3619 provides the Coast Guard, including the 3 stations located 
in my congressional district, with the resources it needs to meet an 
ever-increasing workload--from search and rescue and terrorism 
protection to fisheries law enforcement and oil spill cleanup.
  I also want to thank Chairman Oberstar for including the amendment I 
submitted to the Rules Committee within his manager's amendment.
  My amendment would require the Coast Guard to report to Congress on 
the most frequent sources of human error that have led to oil spills 
from vessels, as well as on the most significant types of ``near miss'' 
incidents.
  The amendment would also require the Coast Guard to use these 
findings to take appropriate action domestically and at the 
International Maritime Organization to reduce the risk of oil spills 
due to human error.
  The consideration of this amendment, Madam Chair, could not be more 
timely.
  Earlier this week we learned that more than 18,000 gallons of fuel 
oil spilled when two ships collided in the Gulf of Mexico.
  By yesterday morning oil covered an area two miles long and a mile 
and a half wide.
  This troubling incident reminds us that our fragile marine resources 
are still susceptible to disaster.
  While efforts by the Coast Guard, states, and industry have reduced 
spills over the last two decades, accidents still occur and most are 
the result of human error.
  Unfortunately, we currently lack the data and analysis we need to 
determine the causes of human errors and the ways to prevent them.
  My amendment would begin filling in that gap so we can learn from the 
mistakes that have been made in the past and take action to avoid 
similar incidents in the future.
  Madam Chair, with billions of gallons of oil passing through our 
nation's coastal waters every year, we must strengthen our oil spill 
safety programs.
  And we must do everything we can to prevent future accidents like 
this week's collision in the Gulf of Mexico and the resulting spill.
  I urge my colleagues to support the manager's amendment which takes 
appropriate action to reduce the risk of oil spilled because of human 
error.

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