On the recordJune 23, 2010
It's been 64 days since the Deepwater Horizon exploded, sank, killed 11 rig workers, and began spilling oil into the Gulf of Mexico. So I think we all agree that, first and foremost, we must stop the leak, clean up the spill, protect our coast, and hold BP accountable for damages. Next, though, we've got to get to the bottom of what happened. And like my colleague just said, if we're going to go ultra-deep, make sure that it's ultra-safe. Now, for that to happen, we have to know the facts--a detailed account informed by understanding of what did take place, and then put in these ultra-safe safety and enforcement measures to make the United States the safest place to drill to get the resources to power our economy. Now this was supposed to be the purpose of the National Oil Spill Commission. Instead, the members of this do not appear to be up to the challenge. Instead of appointing independent experts with knowledge and expertise of deepwater drilling, the President has packed the commission with people who lack expertise in the issues we're confronting. First, let me say, Madam Speaker, I am for this commission having subpoena power. I am for them learning as much as they can learn. My concern is they do not have the members capable of understanding what they need to understand. There are no petroleum engineers in this commission, nor anyone else with experience in deepwater drilling.
