Bob Graham

It has been substantially degraded in recent decades in significant part due to Federal decisions and Federal actions.

Let's not make, you know, the excuse of waiting for more reports to stop doing what we know we can do safely now.

I believe this is the chance that we may not have again in the foreseeable future to make a significant movement toward restoring this critical part of our Nation.

Just as said the need for additional environmental studies in the Arctic should not be used as a de facto moratorium.

This tragedy will be compounded if we learn nothing about the opportunities that are available to us.

As a Nation we can take some concrete steps that will dramatically reduce the chances of another Macondo.

If dramatic steps are not taken we fear that at some point in the coming years another failure will occur.

I think we need to put ourselves in the position of, what should we be doing to assure that our children and grandchildren will have a Gulf of Mexico that is of a quality that we would be proud to hand over to them as our inheritance.

I believe the American public would be outraged.

I think that is a failure of management to do effective risk analysis and take steps to mitigate the risk.

I think part of the responsibility of effective management is to understand the risk and take steps to mitigate the risk.

I believe that something analogous to what Mr. Reilly has said, that we need to have a Gulf of Mexico-wide set of safety standards that would apply to any country touching the Gulf, is the best assurance that the United States has against…