[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7406]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, it is painfully clear that BP's gulf oil 
spill could dwarf any environmental disaster in our Nation's history.
  This tragedy has claimed 11 lives. It has contaminated the water with 
millions of gallons of oil, and it is impacting the livelihoods of all 
who make their living from the gulf's resources. But this disaster will 
be all the more tragic if we fail to learn from it.
  The first steps, of course, are to stop the leaks, to contain the 
spill, and to attend to the devastating consequences of the explosion 
and of its aftermath. The Obama administration swiftly responded to the 
BP disaster from day one. It mobilized the government's resources to 
minimize the harm on the health, economy, and the environment of the 
coast. Now it is time to ensure the complete scrutiny of this horrible 
environmental disaster.
  Today, I am introducing legislation to establish an independent 
commission to examine the causes of the BP disaster and to make 
recommendations to prevent future tragedies. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in this effort to make sure a disaster like this never happens 
again.

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