Senator to hold CJS hearing on safety of dispersants, and a Maryland delegation meeting on food safety and protection of Atlantic Coast beaches and Chesapeake Bay

(WASHINGTON, D.C) – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee that funds and oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced today she will hold a hearing on the safety of dispersants being used by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. She also will convene a Maryland Congressional delegation meeting on seafood safety and protection of Atlantic Coast beaches and the Chesapeake Bay. Senator Mikulski made the announcement in a floor statement on President Obama’s Oval Office address on the Gulf oil spill.

 

“I am concerned that dispersants could be causing more problems than they are solving,” Senator Mikulski said. “I am concerned about the toxic impact on human beings and marine life creating dead zones off the coast of Louisiana. That’s why I plan to hold a hearing to learn more about the effects of these dispersants – what do we already know, what do we need to know, and what research needs to be done – because I don’t want dispersants to turn out to be the DDT or Agent Orange of the oil spill.”

Senator Mikulski recently returned from a trip to the Gulf Coast.

“Maryland’s economy is tied to the Louisiana economy,” Senator Mikulski said. “Our seafood restaurants and markets rely on what’s caught in the Gulf, especially when Maryland’s crabs are out of season. The experts tell us the seafood is safe and Maryland’s beaches and Bay will stay free of oil. I want to trust but verify.  I’m holding a Maryland delegation meeting to make sure that we bring experts to verify that our Atlantic coast beaches and our Chesapeake Bay will stay oil free and our seafood will be safe to eat.”

More details about the hearing and delegation meeting will be available in the coming days.

The full text of Senator Mikulski’s statement follows:

“Mr. President, America is facing a catastrophe in the Gulf. I rise today to speak about the President’s address to our Nation last night and my recent trip to the Gulf. 

 

“I agree with the President that BP must stop the leak, clean up the oil, and end the economic hurricane they’ve caused on the Gulf Coast. I agree that BP – not the tax payers -- must be liable for costs of cleaning up the mess, for compensating businesses, fisherman and families, and for their economic losses. BP must set aside a fund of $20 billion or more today that they don’t control to pay all economic claims in a fair and timely way.

 

“I like that the President focused on the nation’s long range energy needs. We do need to move our energy policy forward. And I am so pleased the President picked Dr. Don Boesch for the new National Commission to prevent and respond to future spills like this one. Dr. Boesch has strong ties to Maryland. He’s been President of UMD Center for Environmental Science since 1990 and serves as Governor O’Malley’s science advisor. He’s also a man of Louisiana, born in New Orleans and a graduate of Tulane. He knows the issues of Louisiana and he’s got a special place in his heart in looking out for Maryland.

 

“I also agree with Billy Nungesser, president of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. He believes we should bring every asset we have to fight this thing. The people of Louisiana need to see more action on the ground and we can’t just rely on BP’s word to get the job done.

 

“We need to organize and mobilize our own government. Right now we are acting like a bureaucracy rather than a fighting force to protect the beaches and the people from the consequences of the oil spill. I hope in the coming days, the President will insist on defining what success is.

 

“This Administration needs goals and metrics for shore clean up that will be adequate. They must establish a mechanism for monitoring, oversight and relentless follow-through. Right now, no one but BP knows what is going on. There has been a lot of reporting on inputs – but not enough on outcomes. We need structure for oversight and we need to know the outcomes of our actions.

 

“The President also needs to insist on expediting permits. When I was on the Gulf Coast last week, I heard from locals that their ideas on how to protect coasts are stuck in bureaucracy. We need to unstick the bureaucracy. This is a national emergency that needs an aggressive national response. We are all in this together.

 

“I went to the Gulf Coast as chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is in the Gulf right now telling us where this oil is going, helping to cleanup the shores and marshes and assisting fishermen who are hurting.

 

“I also went as the Senator from Maryland. I wanted to talk to scientists first hand to find out how the spill could impact Maryland. Will it affect our beaches and treasured Chesapeake Bay?

 

“Last week, I saw the catastrophe in the Gulf. We met the people, we saw the beaches, and we saw the impact on the wildlife. And everywhere we went, we saw oil and the consequences of oil. I spoke to people whose livelihoods depend on the Gulf. When we talk about what we saw- words like ‘Louisiana,’ ‘Grand Isle’ and ‘Pelican Island’ - I also think of words like ‘Ocean City’ and ‘Assateague,’ Maryland’s own barrier island. What we saw was the good, the bad, and the ugly.

 

“First, we met with the people, and I saw just how resilient they are. They have real grit and are determined to do something to save their communities. We coastal people need to be on their side. We saw communities where they would ordinarily have thousands of visitors with busy fishing charters. Now, it’s like a ghost land. The beach looked more like a military base than an ocean resort, with trucks going up and down, carrying booms and all kinds of response equipment. And when you go out to sea, on a boat or in a helicopter, you see this oil creeping closer and closer to the shoreline. We are concerned about the environmental impact, but we are also concerned about the human impact on lives, livelihoods, and safety.

 

“Next, we asked -- is the oil going to come up the East Coast in this so-called ‘loop current or loop stream?’ We were told the beaches of Ocean City will be safe. Even in the worst case scenario, the oil won’t get beyond the Carolinas. Second, we were told that the seafood is safe. It is being inspected locally by NOAA and the FDA, so what is coming to the American marketplace is safe.  That’s what we were told, but I believe what Ronald Reagan said: “Trust, but verify.” 

 

“Maryland’s economy is tied to the Louisiana economy.  Our seafood restaurants and markets rely on what’s caught in the Gulf. I’m holding a Maryland delegation meeting to make sure that we bring in ocean scientists and seafood inspectors to verify that our Atlantic coast beaches and our Chesapeake Bay will stay oil free and our seafood will be safe to eat.

 

“That was the good news. The bad news is BP. The BP people have to fix this. BP is cutting corners, minimizing the situation, and now here we are. The oil will continue to gush, and it will gush until August. But the oil coming out of the well will take six weeks to get to shore, so we are going to feel all of this well into September. And that’s the best case scenario.

 

“I support our President in calling for an escrow account for BP to put $20 billion aside for economic damages. I fear the hoarders will take charge. I fear BP will file for bankruptcy and will want the taxpayers to bail them out. The American taxpayer will not bail out the oil companies. The oil companies must put aside the money to pay damages and cleanup costs.

 

“Our own bureaucracy needs reform. We saw the can-do spirit there among the people, but the permit process is slow – whether it is the EPA, Corps of Engineers or NOAA. This needs to be reformed. And this stuff, called dispersant sounds like if you pour chemicals on the oil the oil will disburse and everything’s fine. I am concerned that dispersants could be causing more problems than they are solving. I am concerned about the toxic impact on human beings and marine life creating dead zones off the coast of Louisiana.

 

“That’s why I plan to hold a hearing. To learn more about the effects of these dispersants - what do we already know, what do we need to know, and what research needs to be done- because I don’t want dispersants to turn out to be the DDT or Agent Orange of the oil spill. It is our job in Congress to push the bureaucracy, to push BP to get the job done and protect the American people.

 

“Then, we saw the ugly. The so-called protective booms were dysfunctional and in disarray, saturated with sticky smelly oil that had been there for days and no one had come to pick them up or clean them up. They were breaking loose and some washed up in marshes, causing far more damage than the oil. If they couldn’t protect the few miles around the pelicans areas, how can they protect the beaches? They’ve got do a lot better job. It took four Senators going to Louisiana to get the booms cleaned up near Grand Isle.

 

“There are no performance standards to make sure BP or the government are doing what they say they are doing and that it is working. There must be relentless follow through by the government. The Coast Guard is treating BP as if it were another government agency, when the Coast Guard needs to take BP to task. They need to make sure that they have performance standards and they need to make sure that there is follow through.

 

“Mr. President, after witnessing the catastrophe in the Gulf and seeing the way the oil is impacting the people, the communities, and the environment, I’m so glad that we in Maryland opposed offshore drilling. No matter what is the energy policy I will always oppose offshore drilling off of the Mid-Atlantic coast. We can never let what’s happening in the Gulf happen to any other communities.

 

“Our first responsibility will be to the Nation’s taxpayers, not to the oil companies. Our second responsibility is to the people of the Gulf, to do all we can to protect them. We need to make sure that we contain the oil and can clean it up so they can get on with their lives and their livelihoods.

 

“I was honored to be able to go and represent Marylanders there because we are coastal people too.  When I talked to the people down there who fish and crab, we talked about how we use the same kind of bait, we use the same kind of line, the same kind of ways.  We cook them a little bit different -- but we eat them all the same.  And when they held our hands, they said when you go back to Maryland and Washington, don’t ever forget us.  And we won’t. We are all Americans, we are all coastal people, and we are all in this together. Thank you, Mr. President. ”