Josh Conference

Floor Speech

Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, we are 2 weeks into the hurricane season, and already the first tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic. If one of these storms were to strike the Gulf of Mexico, with millions of barrels of oil on top, the results would be disastrous to the communities along the gulf.

To make sure our region is prepared to deal with the effects that a hurricane or a tropical storm could have, this past Monday I held a joint oil spill-hurricane planning conference in Bay County, Florida. The conference brought together representatives from Federal and State emergency response agencies, and it brought together military leaders and key local stakeholders to discuss the hazards associated with a hurricane's impact on the oil spill and to discuss the threats posed to our area by having oil propelled inland.

Working together, we identified several planning and action items that need to be taken to better brace for the effects that a storm would have on our communities now that there is oil in the Gulf of Mexico. I plan to deliver these action items to the President and to urge him to incorporate these recommendations into a Federal hurricane preparedness and response plan so that our communities and people can be better protected.

North Florida is already feeling the significant economic and environmental distress from the BP oil spill. It is our responsibility to take steps to safeguard our region.

Source