[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 23, 2012

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the tragic 
two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on April 20, 
2010. The explosion that day and subsequent fire claimed the lives 11 
American workers and after the sinking of the oil rig two days later 
led to the largest oil spill in U.S. waters. The damaged well was 
estimated to have lost approximately 60,000-100,000 barrels of oil each 
day. The affects of the oil spill on the Gulf Coast were staggering and 
still today have lingering effects.
  Hundreds of miles of delicate ecosystems were devastated along the 
tidal shorelines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. 
Approximately 83,927 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters were 
closed to fishing because of health concerns. Even after the eventual 
sealing of the well and the shutting off of crude oil flow, the work 
was not done. Extensive efforts were made to rid the water of oil and 
to restore the shorelines to their prior beauty. The untold economic 
impact on the fishing, tourism, and other industries of the Gulf cannot 
be overlooked.
  I praise the valiant efforts of the men and women that spent 
countless hours dedicating themselves to containing and cleaning up of 
this disaster. The team included the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), EPA, the 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Commerce (DOC), 
Department of Interior (DOI), as well as state and local 
representatives. Workers diligently worked to get the necessary 
equipment to coastal waters but there were delays that can't be 
ignored.
  I commend our efforts to immediately respond to the disaster by 
passing H.R. 5503, the SPILL Act, to reform the following maritime 
liability laws: Death on the High Seas Act, Jones Act, and Limitation 
on Liability Act. These bills are to ensure the families of those 
killed or injured in the BP Spill and other similar tragedies are 
justly compensated. We also passed H.R. 5481 that gave subpoena power 
to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Oil Spill and Offshore 
Drilling tasked with providing recommendations on how to prevent future 
oil spills that result from offshore drilling. Our efforts should not 
stop there.
  Strides have been made to establish a clear chain of command and 
developing a coordinated and efficient response to disasters. But, 
there is much more that has to be done to avoid another oil spill of 
this magnitude. We must stay vigilant in evaluating our nation's 
capacity to respond to oil spills. Develop standard national protocols 
for oil spill response and clean up assessments and develop guidance 
and tools for oil spill responders. Establish direct research and take 
action to improve the ability of the United States to conduct oil spill 
prevention, response, and recovery in Arctic waters. Our civic 
responsibility is to learn from our mistakes and apply those lessons to 
future oil spills and other such disasters that unfortunately may 
occur.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the tragic two-year 
anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. I urge this body to 
continue to introduce and support legislation that prevents and 
protects our environment, economy, and families from future unfortunate 
disasters that may occur.

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