[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 87 (Friday, May 19, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H4379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF REFUGIO OIL SPILL

  (Mr. CARBAJAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to recognize the 
second anniversary of the devastating Refugio oil spill off the Gaviota 
coast in my district.
  I remember all too well the horrifying sights and smells when over 
100,000 barrels of crude oil poured from the Plains All American 
pipeline rupture. Our local funds were stretched as we mounted our 
cleanup effort that ended up costing over $100 million. The full extent 
of the damage to our local economy and environment in our region won't 
be fully known for years.
  I was pleased that President Obama signed into law last year the SAFE 
PIPES Act, directing the Department of Transportation's pipeline safety 
program, PHMSA, to increase the frequency of their pipeline monitoring 
on the California coast. We must ensure that PHMSA is fully funded to 
ensure that it can effectively monitor our oil pipelines and hopefully 
prevent future disasters like the Refugio Plains All American pipeline 
oil spill.

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