Tsongas Participates in BP Oil Disaster Hearings; Calls Response and Conditions Leading to Disaster "Appalling"

Statement

Fifth District Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, a member of the Committee on Natural Resources, has for the past two days participated in Congressional hearings examining the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday, Tsongas and members of the Committee heard from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Today, Committee members heard from executives at BP and Transocean. Tsongas released the following statement about the testimony she heard before the Committee.

"The hearings in the Natural Resources Committee over the past two days revealed that a lack of government regulation of the offshore oil drilling industry, the substandard safety precautions taken by BP, and the subsequent combined response to the disaster in the Gulf have been nothing short of appalling. There is plenty of blame to go around.

"Drilling for oil far below the earth's surface in ocean depths of 5000 feet is an inherently risky undertaking. As such, it is the responsibility of government, and in this particular case the Minerals Management Service, to ensure that all necessary safety precautions are taken, especially when an accident holds such dire consequences for our environment and our economy. In the testimony by Secretary Salazar we learned that tragically insufficient oversight took place at the BP site and that in recent years important environmental regulations were inappropriately waived on behalf of BP.

"Worse, this lack of oversight appears to be the direct result of the cozy relationship that oil executives had with MMS employees which included lavish trips, expensive dinners, and other favors that further enhanced a culture of corruption at the agency. This was truly shameful behavior.

"The safety shortcuts that BP was allowed to take helped lead to what is now the largest oil spill in our nation's history. As we heard in the Committee, BP's primary motivation was profits, not the well being of the area they were drilling in. Use of our public lands is a privilege not a right. As a result of their reckless behavior there is no question that BP and Transocean should absolutely be liable not only for the clean up -- but they should take responsibility for the devastating impact this spill will regrettably have on our economy as well.

"Furthermore it is inconceivable that we would allow this type of drilling to take place in our public waterways without oil companies unequivocally demonstrating the ability to prevent, mitigate, or clean-up in the event of such an accident. This inability has led to a response by BP and government officials that has to date been disorganized, with limited effectiveness.

"Finally, the ongoing economic and environmental disaster in the Gulf is further evidence that we need to start the transition to a clean energy economy. Renewable energy is not only beneficial to our environment but also has the potential to create millions of new jobs developing the technology and manufacturing the products that can capture wind, solar and other sources of clean energy. The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive clean energy bill that contains the necessary incentives and investments to jump-start these industries which can break our dependence on foreign oil. This disaster underscores the need for the Senate to act on this critical legislation and commit our country to an energy policy that is sustainable and domestically produced."

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