Recognizing Two-Year Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Floor Speech

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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