Congressman Blumenauer's Statement on the BP Oil Spill

Tuesday, 04 May 2010 19:00

"The tragic BP oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico is wreaking havoc on coastal economies and fragile ecosystems. Oil spewing from the Deepwater Horizon blowout is coating birds in crude, destroying wetlands, and killing fisheries – and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the coast.

"This spill could be the most catastrophic environmental disaster in U.S. history, and it should be a vivid reminder that we must act now to enact clean energy legislation – so that we can reduce our addiction to fossil fuels that spill and will eventually run out.

"BP has a responsibility to clean up its mess in the Gulf Coast, but we in Congress also have a responsibility to invest in making our country run better and cleaner. There is no silver bullet to our growing energy needs, and each energy source comes with its own challenges, but we must invest in proven sources of clean, renewable energy to ensure our future independence from oil. The bottom line is that America only has 2% of global oil supplies, despite consuming 20% of the world’s energy. This means we must do what we should have done 20 years ago: harness energy from the heat of the earth, sun, waves, and wind. It means making our buildings and vehicles more efficient, so we aren’t wasting our precious resources. It means investing more in public transit and bike lanes so that people have the option of getting around without consuming fossil fuels.

"Last summer, the House passed an energy and climate bill that would reduce our dependence on oil, invest in clean, renewable energy, and put a cap on dangerous carbon emissions. The Senate absolutely must follow suit, and they must do this without exacerbating our dependence on fuels that spill into the ocean, put workers at risk, or release more carbon into our already overheated atmosphere.

"President Obama has committed national resources to stop the leaking oil (read more about these efforts at here) and I am committed to making sure we finally pass an energy and climate bill. Neither our planet nor our economy can afford another oil disaster."