[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 19, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H3548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DEVASTATING OIL SPILL

  (Mr. DEUTCH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, fishing has been barred from one-fifth of 
the Gulf of Mexico. That is 29 million acres off limits to the American 
citizens who rely upon the seafood industry to support their families. 
Globs of oil called ``tar balls'' have landed in the Florida Keys, a 
warning of the threats to Florida's vibrant tourism industry. The 
consequences of this devastating oil spill will not be felt by 
Democrats or Republicans, but by all Americans, and for years to come.
  The oil spill cleanup could cost more than $14 billion; but today oil 
companies are required only to pay a measly $75 million toward those 
damages. For that reason, it is outrageous to see legislation forcing 
BP to pay for this mess fail once again on partisan lines.
  Most shops have a long-recognized policy: you break it; you buy it. 
The same should apply to oil companies.
  I urge my Republican colleagues to join a bipartisan effort 
protecting taxpayers from a massive bailout of the oil industry. It is 
time to worry less about oil company profits and more about the 
American people.

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