[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 14, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5827-S5828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PROTECTING GULF BIRD HABITAT

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, as you well know, it has been 3 months 
since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in a massive fireball, 
killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others. But the extent of this 
tragedy is still beyond comprehension for everyone in this country. 
Since then, as we all know, as much as 50,000 barrels of oil per day 
has flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. At that rate, the Exxon Valdez 
disaster in Alaska has been duplicated every 4 days. I don't think that 
when this started, anyone thought that was possible.
  There are many resources down there, as we know. It was slow going at 
first, but now we see more than 6,800 vessels, 117 aircraft, 3 million 
feet of boom, and more than 45,000 personnel.
  In May, I went on an aerial tour of the spill while I was in New 
Orleans. I saw firsthand the miles and miles of oil slick covering the 
gulf, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people in the gulf 
coast as well as some of our Nation's most precious wildlife.
  Our priorities are clear. First, we have to plug this well. We know 
there are some efforts underway as we speak, as well as a long-term 
plan of pushing some cement in there, that we know may not be completed 
until mid-August.
  The second is that BP and others responsible must pay so that the 
taxpayers of our State of Minnesota as well as States across the 
country are not on the hook. The $20 billion the President and others 
negotiated with BP was a very strong start because, as we know, what 
happened with the Exxon Valdez--20 years later, a lot of those families 
still had not gotten their money. Mr. President, 8,000 of the 
plaintiffs and fishermen died before they got their money in that case.
  Third, we need to figure out what happened so this never happens 
again.
  Fourth, we need to reform the agencies that were supposed to be the 
watchdogs but turned out to be the lapdogs and redouble our efforts to 
diversify the energy supply.
  I have focused on addressing this disaster because I believe we owe 
it to the taxpayers and because this disaster has devastated the 
resources that belong to all Americans. Now, as we face the worst 
environmental disaster in our Nation's history, we cannot lose sight of 
a piece of it that I don't think has gotten enough attention. Why? 
Because we have not even seen it play out yet. We have seen that 
wildlife down there right now. We have seen the pelicans drenched with 
oil hobbling on the beaches. We have seen all that. But what we have 
not seen yet--and we have no idea of the extent of the problem yet--is 
what is going to happen to the 13 million migratory birds, waterfowl 
coming from Minnesota, coming from Wisconsin, that winter in the gulf 
coast in those marshes.
  At first, no one, understandably, focused on the unsettling 
proposition that millions of birds that winter in the gulf every fall 
and winter will be faced with toxic shorelines and toxic marshes, but 
as the oil laps up on the shore, we have to face this unacceptable but 
real problem right now.
  As you know, in our State we know summer has arrived when we hear the 
loon calls from our 10,000 lakes. Minnesota is home to half a million 
ducks and the largest population of loons in the continental United 
States. Hunting and wildlife watching is part of our heritage, but it 
is also an important part of our economy. Waterfowl hunting contributes 
almost $50 million in economic activity in Minnesota every year, and 
Minnesota has the third highest birding participation rate of all 
States, at 33 percent or 1.5 million people.
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is heading up the Natural Resource 
Damage Assessment and Restoration Program, which will come up with an 
estimate of restoration costs that will be sent to BP for them to pay 
to help clean up the shorelines, the estuaries, and the marshes. 
Additionally, the new escrow account that has been created will help 
ensure that the claims process for individuals and businesses runs 
smoothly and efficiently, and it will also help ensure that claims by 
government--State, local, and tribal--that are submitted to BP will not 
be delayed by a slow claims process.
  But, while the Unified National Incident Command is doing all it can 
to stop the leak, it is important that we simultaneously do all we can 
to protect the habitat of the birds and the ducks in the gulf that 
support our hunting and birding economy in this country.
  In just a few weeks, millions of birds will begin to migrate south 
from Canada, from the Great Plains and parts of the Midwest. They will 
fly hundreds or even thousands of miles to the gulf coast, where they 
spend their winters.

[[Page S5828]]

Remember, all we have seen so far is just the birds that live down 
there in the heat. Think of when all the birds go down there. This is 
what they are going to find. They are going to find that beaches that 
used to have beach balls are now filled with tar balls. So many of them 
go to the marshes and the wetlands, and the oil is starting to creep 
into those marshes. We cannot really put up a sign for those birds that 
says: Hey, go to Mexico instead. There are naturally other places they 
could go, but, guess what. They can't read. Nor are we going to be able 
to put some big net up to stop them from flying to those places. I 
talked to people, experts on this, from Ducks Unlimited and other 
places. These birds do not have the instinct to avoid those oily areas. 
They are going to just plow back in where they went last winter. That 
is why a bipartisan group of Senators joined me in sending a letter to 
Secretary Salazar to ensure that proper attention and coordination is 
also made with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and conservation organizations 
that are working to protect the habitat of migratory birds.
  I am pleased that just this week, the National Incident Command 
announced the launch of a new Web site, restorethegulf.gov, dedicated 
to providing the American people with clear and accessible information 
and resources related to the BP oilspill response and recovery.
  It is also important that as we focus on stopping this terrible leak, 
we also prepare for the serious and imminent threats to the birds and 
wildlife that play a critical role in the regional gulf economies and 
to the more distant regional economies in places such as Minnesota and 
Wisconsin.
  In just a few weeks, we must be ready for the mass influx of ducks 
and birds in the gulf region. If we fail to prepare, countless 
unsuspecting birds, wildlife, will not return to Minnesota and our 
ecosystems and economies will feel the impact, not just in Minnesota 
but throughout the country; not just in Louisiana, not just in Florida. 
It will spread. We will continue to push, with the recovery efforts, to 
make sure there is adequate focus on this important issue.
  I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Begich.) Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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