Ed Markey: “The gentleman put his finger right on it. There would be a completely different response if the spill were not 1,000…”

“The gentleman put his finger right on it. There would be a completely different response if the spill were not 1,000 barrels or 5,000 barrels per day but, rather, 30,000 to 60,000 barrels per day. It delayed the response. Much more harm has been done to the people in the Gulf of Mexico. There was a greater delay in bringing in all of the skimmers, all of the new technologies to be able to deal with this spill. If a whistleblower knew that it was not 1,000, knew that it was not 5,000, they should not have to fear that they would lose their job if they wanted to protect the oceans of America and the workers in the Gulf of Mexico rather than being afraid that they would lose their own job and their own family's livelihood. That is why this legislation is so important.”