Responding to the Spill

Press Release

Dear Friend,

I wanted to give you an update on some of my efforts to address BP's tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Obviously, the immediate task is to get BP to stop the leaks, clean up the oil, and help our fellow citizens in the Gulf put their lives back together. We also must ensure that BP -- and not the taxpayers -- pays for its failure.

The President has committed to holding the company accountable and the government has sent BP its first bill. But we have to do more.

That's why I'm supporting legislation to retroactively get rid of the outdated $75 million oil company liability cap for damages resulting from spills.

It's also why I've introduced legislation to raise the civil and criminal penalties for polluters that violate environmental and safety law and regulations. This bill will deter oil companies from playing fast and loose with the rules meant to protect our fragile coastal economies and environment.

Last week I also called on BP to suspend its $50 million ad campaign promoting itself and to stop its plan to pay out up to $10 billion in dividends to its shareholders. I was pleased that BP heeded this request and postponed its dividend payment

To ensure we find out exactly what went wrong and, more importantly, take the appropriate steps to prevent another such disaster in the future, last month I introduced legislation to establish an independent commission. Similar commissions were very useful in helping us learn from the Three Mile Island disaster and Challenger accident. I was pleased when the President adopted my idea and created the Commission by Executive Order.

But since the Constitution doesn't grant the President the authority to issue subpoenas, I just introduced legislation to give the Commission that critical tool so BP and others can't stonewall this important investigation.

As a public health nurse, I know the damage wrought by an oil spill can hurt workers today and have negative health effects long into the future. Last month I wrote to BP urging it to take the necessary steps to insure the health and safety of the workers and volunteers cleaning up its giant mess.

Still, reports of worker illness persist and it is clear BP is incapable of making the protection of the public's health their priority. That's why I am urging the President to relieve BP of their role in the public health response.

My longtime opposition to offshore drilling is well known and the spill is just the most visible reminder of why. But I have also been pushing for a transition to a clean energy economy for years because our addiction to oil is a danger to our national security. We simply have to rely too much on countries hostile to us for our energy.

Fortunately, we've made some progress on this front with the first increase in efficiency standards for our cars and trucks in over 30 years. We've also begun implementing new efficiency standards for windows, appliances and buildings. We've made progress on requiring utilities to get more energy from renewable sources and to incentivize homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. And we are making historic investments in developing solar, wind and geothermal energy.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments. Please feel free to forward this to your family and friends, and I encourage you to visit my website and Facebook page to learn about the issues that matter most to you.

Sincerely,

LOIS CAPPS
Member of Congress

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