Rangel On The One-Year Anniversary Of The BP Oil Spill

Statement

Congressman Charles Rangel today issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and BP oil spill:

"Today, as we mark the one-year anniversary of the BP oil spill, we must not forget the 11 men whose lives were lost on that tragic day last April, nor the livelihoods of thousands of Gulf residents still affected by the spill.

Following the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana, millions of gallons of oil poured uninhibited into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico from April to July. The catastrophe irreparably harmed the wildlife in those waters and the surrounding ecosystem. We will never forget the images of birds, sea turtles, and other wildlife covered in black oil, or the sheen of oil on the ocean surface.

To prevent future environmental crises such as these, I voted for the Offshore Drilling Regulations and Other Energy Law Amendments to provide better management of our nonrenewable and renewable energy resources. While last year's legislation is a start, it is vital that we pursue alternative and domestic sources of energy that create jobs and limit harm to our environment.

Based on the lessons learned from last year's disaster, we should provide more environmental oversight - not less. At a time when Big Oil is making record profits, the GOP budget proposal to slash $1.6 billion from the Environmental Protection Agency while keeping multi-billion dollar tax subsidies for oil companies is hypocritical."

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