[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 26, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E121-E122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE BP DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL 
                      SPILL AND OFFSHORE DRILLING

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 26, 2011

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the National 
Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling 
for their thorough and comprehensive review of the disastrous Gulf oil 
spill. I appreciate the hard work and diligence of the Commissioners 
and their staff in compiling this report and know it will prove 
beneficial as we consider legislative responses to the spill during the 
112th Congress. In addition, I would like to commend the Commission for 
completing the report on time and under budget.
  By now, we are all too familiar with the account of the spill. On 
April 20th, a BP oil rig located 52 miles off of the Louisiana coast 
exploded with 126 workers on the rig, resulting in 11 families losing 
their loved ones. With no plan in place for failure of the blowout 
preventer and no clear leader in the federal response, efforts to stop 
the flow of oil from the

[[Page E122]]

damaged well took far too long. The BP oil spill is now the largest 
spill in United States history and the environmental and economic 
impacts of this disaster will be felt for years to come. The report by 
the Oil Spill Commission provides further details of the causes of the 
spill, including the fact that the disaster could have been prevented 
to begin with.
  The report also emphasizes that we can not just focus on reforming 
the deficiencies in current drilling regulations, we must also continue 
to monitor the environmental impact of the spill on the Gulf of Mexico. 
Recovery may take years and the long-term effects of the oil spill, as 
well as those of the response and clean-up efforts, are still unclear. 
This monitoring will ensure we are prepared to quickly respond to the 
unforeseen consequences of this spill.
  Thankfully, institutions of higher learning around the country are 
already conducting vital research as we begin ecosystem recovery 
efforts, including at the University of South Florida whose College of 
Marine Science has become an international center for the study of our 
nation's and our world's waters and of our coastal lands. Together with 
the Florida Institute of Oceanography, also in St. Petersburg, which is 
drawing together all the state of Florida's marine research expertise, 
and a variety of other local, state and federal organizations, our 
community has provided key information to our nation's decision makers 
about the impact it is having on our environment and the development of 
long-term strategies to clean it up.
  Last Congress in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill, I also 
introduced the SAFEGUARDS Act and was pleased to see many of the issues 
I had addressed in the measure included in the Commissions report, 
including updating the National Contingency Plan and ensuring that 
National Environmental Policy Act requirements are not ignored going 
forward. Their recommendations will prove useful as I work on revising 
this legislation for reintroduction later in the 112th Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me today in thanking 
the Oil Spill Commission for their independent and impartial report. 
Their suggestions will prove useful as we continue our response to last 
years horrific oil spill and I urge my colleagues to work together to 
ensure the complete recovery of the Gulf of Mexico.

                          ____________________