On the recordJuly 30, 2010
I was hoping we could have come here in a bipartisan effort to pass legislation that would have made certain that the tragic spill, the loss of life, be prevented, that we never see that happen off America's shores again. We do need domestic oil production. We don't want to be beholden to foreign fossil fuels. Unfortunately, this bill misses the mark. Unfortunately, this bill is the typical Democrat solution. It imposes huge taxes--$22 billion in taxes. It overregulates. Yes, we want proper regulation. We saw where the mark was missed. We saw where the law did not keep up with technology. Though let me say we missed the mark, too, in holding people responsible. We must hold people responsible, and that is whether it is BP or anyone who had anything to do with this or whether it is the administration officials who stamped the permit allowing the drilling to proceed in deep water, as they did, without the proper protections of the environment. Only 27 deepwater wells off the coast--only 27--have exploration, have production. This administration missed the mark. We want these people held responsible, and we also want it in law. You know, the guy who issued that permit, that one-page permit with a flawed backup cleanup for oil spills, is still on the job.
