[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF THE GULF COAST RESTORATION ACT

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                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 30, 2010

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce the 
introduction of the Gulf Coast Restoration Act, legislation that would 
create jobs and national service positions to clean and restore the 
Gulf Coast, and help rebuild communities throughout the Gulf Coast 
region. Funding for these jobs and services would be provided by BP in 
accordance with the company's liability under the Oil Pollution Act of 
1990.
  We have now learned twice--both in the wake of the Exxon Valdez spill 
and the ongoing cleanup of this disaster--that oil companies will never 
hold themselves accountable for their mistakes. Negotiating or trying 
to work with oil companies is futile. We have heard from BP over and 
over again that it is prepared to fund the cleanup of the Gulf Coast 
and compensate those whose livelihoods have been devastated by the 
spill. And over and over again, the American public has seen how 
unprepared BP was to handle a catastrophic event like the Deepwater 
Horizon incident. It's going to take Congress and the Administration to 
force oil companies to do their fair share. This bill will both help 
clean up the Gulf and provide a much-needed infusion of jobs into the 
region.
  I want to thank Representatives Israel, Himes, Connolly, Langevin, 
Sutton, Hinchey, Blumenauer, and John Lewis for signing on as original 
co-sponsors. I also want to thank the continued commitment of the 54 
members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, who have 
endorsed the bill and whose dedication has been invaluable.
  An estimated one million Gulf Coast residents will likely face 
permanent job loss as a result of the Deepwater Horizon accident, and 
experts predict that it will take years, if not decades, to recover 
from the environmental devastation. We've already heard that some 
fisheries and ecosystems will likely never fully recover. If we learned 
anything from the Exxon Valdez spill, it's that we're going to need an 
enormous and continued effort to clean up this mess, and this bill will 
help us do just that.

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