The Brady Brief - Action on the BP Oil Spill

Press Release

Dear Friend,

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a tragic accident that never should have occurred. Since then, Congress has been busy working to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and to prevent this type of accident from ever happening again.

The following outlines some of the steps Congress has taken to address the BP spill, but for more information and resources please visit my website.

* Uncovered the real size of the spill, allowing authorities and families best prepare for its aftermath
* Forced BP to make live video of the oil spill available to the public
* Uncovered key evidence in blowout preventer failure and mistakes that caused the oil rig's explosion
* Cut BP's use of dangerous chemical dispersants
* Provided oversight of the FDA to ensure the food supply and the fishing industry are protected
* Called on President Obama to create an independent, blue-ribbon commission to investigate the BP oil spill, ensure that clean up and recovery efforts are enforced, and to make safety recommendations on deep water drilling moving forward

This week, Congress continues its commitment to effectively deal with this accident. The House passed H.R. 5481, which gives subpoena power to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling so the Commission can effectively deal with the spill's consequences. The Judiciary Committee will mark-up H.R. 5503, the "Securing Protections for
the Injured from Limitations on Liability Act" (SPILL Act), which is a comprehensive bill addressing legal liability issues arising from the Gulf Coast oil spill. In addition to these bills, various committees will continue looking into worker safety issues aboard deepwater oil rigs, deepwater drilling technology, oil spill cleanup worker health, and offshore energy preparedness strategies.

As this tragedy continues to unfold, rest assured that I will do all in my power to stop the spill, effectively deal with its aftermath, hold BP responsible for its negligence, and put in place measures to ensure this never happens again. I will also work to address the underlining cause of this spill - our nation's dependence on oil. I will continue to push to break our addiction to oil through comprehensive energy reform. If you have any questions regarding this or any other issue, please contact any of my offices.

Sincerely,

Robert Brady
Member of Congress

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