Niki Tsongas: “Last summer, we all saw the painfully disorganized and ineffective response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The…”

“Last summer, we all saw the painfully disorganized and ineffective response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The frustration was palpable across our country. During that tragedy, it was clear that BP and the Federal Government had no plan to contain the oil spill and that BP lacked the capacity to respond to a spill of that magnitude. The amendment that I am offering today is very straightforward and simple, one that seeks to implement the lessons learned from the events of last summer. My amendment would require that all applicants for a drilling permit under a lease sold under H.R. 1231 submit a plan for containment and cleanup of a worst-case scenario oil or gas spill. This amendment does not limit drilling. It says simply and sensibly that when we drill, we should have a plan in place before an accident occurs. We shouldn't wait until a disaster like last year's 3-month- long spill has already begun. There wasn't a person I spoke to who wasn't horrified by the devastating oil spill in the gulf. I believe that the American people want us to learn from that environmental and economic tragedy, and this amendment helps us accomplish that. When we drill, we should have a plan for dealing with possible disaster. Some have argued that we don't need a law because initial steps are being taken at the agency level or by oil and gas companies.…”