WASHINGTON, DC – July 2, 2010 – Fifth District Congresswoman Niki Tsongas today introduced the Oil Spill Preparation and Protection Act, legislation that would require oil companies that seek to drill in United States coastal waters to submit detailed plans on how they would contain and cleanup a worst-case scenario oil spill, like the continuous spill now taking place in the Gulf.  The bill is being introduced as the Natural Resources Committee, on which Tsongas serves, is crafting a legislative response to the Gulf oil spill to ensure that such an event cannot happen again.  Tsongas views the inclusion of language forcing oil companies to account for a worst-case scenario as an essential component of that legislative response.

“The BP oil spill in the Gulf is the worst environmental disaster in our nation’s history and represents a failure by the oil industry, a failure of government to oversee that industry, and also a simple failure of imagination,” said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. “Drilling for oil miles below the earth’s surface in ocean depths of 5000 feet is an inherently risky undertaking.  As such, it is essential that all necessary safety precautions are taken and all scenarios are planned for appropriately, especially when an accident can hold such dire consequences for our environment and our economy.”

“The bill that I am introducing today, the Oil Spill Preparation and Protection Act would require oil companies to include in all exploration and production and development plans, an oil spill containment and cleanup plan capable of handling a worst-case scenario spill,” Tsongas explained.  “The required plans would force oil companies to address specific potential catastrophic events, address the contingency that early attempts to contain a spill would fail, include specific redundancy mechanisms to contain a spill, use best available technology to contain a spill and mitigate its environmental impacts, and demonstrate adequate resources to contain and clean up a spill, and provide for long-term remediation of the marine and coastal environments.  Finally, the plans must be submitted to the EPA for approval.”

“Ensuring that the oil industry can contain and clean-up its spills is fundamental to preventing future disasters,” said Michael Jasny, Senior Policy Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  “Under Rep. Tsongas' common-sense legislation, companies would have to show they can control the damage before they start drilling off our coasts.”

“It is inconceivable that we would allow such risky drilling to take place in our public waterways and lands without oil companies clearly demonstrating their ability to prevent, mitigate, or clean up any type of accident,” Tsongas continued.  “The lack of such a requirement has led to a disorganized, ineffective response by BP and government officials.  I will be working with members of the Committee on Natural Resources to see that language requiring oil companies to account for a worst-case scenario is included as part of our legislative response to this tragedy.”

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