[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2753-H2755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES FOR VICTIMS OF TESORO REFINERY FIRE IN 
                         ANACORTES, WASHINGTON

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1262) expressing condolences to the families, 
friends, and loved ones of the victims of the fire at the Tesoro 
refinery in Anacortes, Washington.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

[[Page H2754]]

                              H. Res. 1262

       Whereas the people of the State of Washington experienced a 
     tragedy on April 2, 2010, when a fire occurred at the Tesoro 
     refinery in Anacortes, Washington;
       Whereas a team of seven Tesoro employees was working in the 
     refinery's naphtha hydrotreater when the fire occurred;
       Whereas three of these individuals died immediately in the 
     fire, three more died of their injuries, and one more remains 
     in intensive care after suffering severe burns;
       Whereas the fire was quickly brought under control by 
     Tesoro's fire control team and local first responders;
       Whereas Federal, State and local government agencies, 
     including the Chemical Safety Board, the United States 
     Environmental Protection Agency, and the Washington State 
     Department of Labor and Industries, are conducting 
     investigations to determine the cause of the incident and to 
     ensure that the risk of similar incidents is minimized in the 
     future;
       Whereas the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes has temporarily 
     shut down due to the damage sustained; and
       Whereas Tesoro and the Skagit Community Foundation have 
     established the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery Survivors Fund, and 
     the United Steelworkers Local 12-591 has established the 
     Tesoro Incident Family Fund to support the victims of the 
     fire and their families: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses condolences to the families, friends, and 
     loved ones of the victims of the fire at the Tesoro refinery 
     in Anacortes, Washington;
       (2) honors Matthew C. Bowen, Darrin J. Hoines, Daniel J. 
     Aldridge, Kathryn Powell, Lew Janz, and Donna Van Dreumel who 
     died as a result of the fire;
       (3) offers best wishes to Matt Gumbel, who suffered severe 
     burns and is recovering at Harborview Medical Center in 
     Seattle; and
       (4) expresses sympathies to the people of Anacortes, the 
     entire State of Washington, and the Nation who grieve for the 
     victims.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Speier) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 1262. This measure expresses condolences 
to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims of the fire at 
the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington.
  This resolution was introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from 
Washington, Representative Rick Larsen, on April 15, 2010. The measure 
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which 
worked with leadership to get it to the floor quickly. The measure has 
the bipartisan support of over 60 Members of the House.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the sponsor of this resolution, 
the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen).
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman 
and ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform 
committee for their assistance in bringing the resolution to the House 
floor.
  Madam Speaker, on April 2, Washington State experienced a tragedy 
when a fire occurred in the Naphtha Hydrotreater unit at the Tesoro oil 
refinery in Anacortes, Washington, in my district. Six workers died as 
a result of the fire. One more was burned and remains in intensive 
care.
  I offer my condolences to the families, the friends and loved ones of 
the victims of this fire. My thoughts and prayers are with Tesoro's 
employees and everyone from the city of Anacortes and the State of 
Washington and our country who grieve for the workers who died and who 
suffered injury.
  I encourage my colleagues to join with me in supporting this 
resolution to honor the lives of Matthew Bowen, Darrin Hoines, Dan 
Aldridge, Kathryn Powell, Donna Van Dreumel and Lew Janz.
  This resolution also expresses the best wishes of Congress to Matt 
Gumbel, who was severely burned in the fire and is currently in serious 
condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. I hope 
that Matt recovers as quickly as possible from these terrible injuries.
  And earlier this week, Madam Speaker, I received a letter from the 
CEO of Tesoro and the chair of United Steelworkers Local 12-591 
expressing support for this resolution. And I'd like to enter this 
letter in the Congressional Record.
  Multiple Federal, State and local agencies, including the Chemical 
Safety Board, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington 
State Department of Labor and Industries, are currently investigating 
the cause of the fire. I strongly support the work they are doing to 
help us understand what happened and how to prevent a similar accident 
in the future.
  And although most Americans don't associate northwest Washington with 
oil and gas, Skagit and Whatcom Counties in my district have been home 
to major oil refineries for over five decades. The four refineries in 
northwest Washington process a combined 500,000 barrels of oil a day. 
These refineries are central to the local economy, employing nearly 
2,500 people and supplying over $200 million in wages to workers and 
contractors.
  The refining industry is inherently hazardous. As one refinery 
employee in my district put it, ``We don't bake cookies; we bake oil.''
  That being said, preventing accidents that harm workers is vitally 
important. As the fire at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes fades from 
newspaper headlines, we must remain sharply focused on worker safety, 
at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes and at refineries and industrial 
sites around the country.
  While it's not possible to prevent all refinery accidents, we need to 
learn from what happened in Anacortes. We need to make sure that we are 
doing everything we can to reduce the risk of similar accidents in the 
future.
  So I urge my colleagues to join with me in supporting this resolution 
expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to those who 
lost families, friends and loved ones in this terrible, terrible 
tragedy.

                                                   April 20, 2010.
     Hon. Rick Larsen,
     U.S. Congress,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Larsen: The Tesoro Corporation, United 
     Steelworkers Local 12-591, and our family of employees wish 
     to express our collective gratitude for your Resolution being 
     considered in the U.S. House of Representatives that 
     expresses condolences for and honors the victims of the 
     recent tragic fire at our Anacortes, Washington facility. We 
     are deeply touched by your concern and that of your 
     colleagues in the House. Please know that we welcome and 
     appreciate the comfort your words provide to all those 
     affected.
     Bruce Smith,
       Chairman & CEO, Tesoro Corporation.
     Walter Cleve,
       United Steel Workers Union, Local 12-591 Unit Chair.

  Mr. FLAKE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
Larsen) for introducing this resolution. And I urge my colleagues to 
support it.
  We want to express our condolences to the families and the friends 
and loved ones of those who perished in the fire and wish a speedy 
recovery to the one who is still injured.
  We want to make sure also that this fire is investigated and we, to 
the extent possible, can make sure that it doesn't happen again.
  And so I want to encourage all my colleagues to support this 
important resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the 
Representative from Wisconsin, Representative Tammy Baldwin.
  Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Speier) for recognizing me out of order to speak to a previous 
resolution.
  Many years ago Gaylord Nelson, from my home State of Wisconsin, had a 
vision. He envisioned a world where our pristine oceans and lakes are 
protected, our air clean to breathe, and our planet preserved for 
future generations.
  Being the wise man that Senator Nelson was, he recognized the 
environmental degradation that everyone around him was acknowledging, 
everyone, that is, but the political establishment, which wasn't 
interested in action.

[[Page H2755]]

  He knew that if the environment was to have its place on the 
political agenda, it had to be brought there by the people. So he 
announced that there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on 
behalf of the environment. He called it Earth Day. At the time it was a 
gamble, but worth the try.
  No one expected the turnout: 20 million people came out to 
participate. The sheer numbers gathered the attention of the Congress, 
and it was those voices that led to congressional action on some of our 
most treasured environmental laws: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water 
Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  I commend my colleague from Wisconsin, Mr. Obey, for bringing the 
resolution to honor the late Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to the 
floor. And the resolution also commemorates the 40th anniversary of 
Earth Day.
  In the words of Senator Nelson: ``Our goal is an environment of 
decency, quality, and mutual respect for all human beings and all other 
living creatures.
  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.


                announcement by the speaker pro tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would remind people in the 
Chamber, people in the gallery, that little whispers turn into loud 
roars. Business is being conducted on the floor.
  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I yield to my good friend, the gentleman 
from Washington (Mr. Inslee), as much time as he may consume.
  Mr. INSLEE. Madam Speaker, I would like to speak in favor of this 
resolution that commemorates and honors those who were lost in the 
Tesoro explosion in Washington State. And this is something that is 
felt, I think, nationwide. And I appreciate Rick Larsen and his 
leadership bringing this for the Congress to consider this tragedy. And 
the reason is maybe twofold. One, we really look forward to a day in 
this country that our loved ones can go to work without the fear of 
them not coming home in these jobs, and we hope that this will help 
focus Congress and our continuing efforts to improve safety in the 
workplace for our loved ones.
  My son worked on a pipeline project that terminated at the Tesoro 
facility and got to know some of these hardworking people, and they 
were aware of the dangers associated with the product they work with. 
And he was impressed, and I think we're all impressed, with their 
dedication to their jobs.
  And I just want to express from the folks I represent our empathy for 
the families.
  I also want to express my admiration for a fellow named Matt Gumbel 
who today is recovering at Harborview Hospital from his burns and doing 
well and is very impressed, as I just read some comments on his Web 
site of people saying, if Matt could get 100 feet following his 
injuries to the control room to help get help for the people who were 
injured, he'll be able to get through this. So we're thinking of him. 
And we commend this resolution to the Chamber.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. FLAKE. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1262.
  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.

                          ____________________