I have supported offshore oil and gas development for many years, and I expect to continue to do so.

I cannot understand why a more detailed environmental review was not conducted that might have led to extra precautions.

Why then was a categorical exclusion used at this site, and what is MMS doing to ensure that our most special places are protected?

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation with my colleagues Senator Crapo and Senator Tester that will establish a single definition of renewable biomass for the purposes of the Renewable Fuel Standard, RFS, a future Renewable…

I thank you and Secretary Sebelius and the Administration for the declaration of public health urgency.

Today we are gathered for one reason, and that is we need to answers to the question what went wrong.

The catastrophic consequences of this incident compel us to pause, to evaluate what happened, and to make corrections so this does not happen again.

It is our responsibility to make sure that as we move forward with offshore oil and gas developments we are doing so with the utmost care to preclude this type of catastrophe.

The whole thing is life is, if you can do it right, do it right the first time.

It just seems like a lot of mistakes were made.

I am not convinced, based upon the press reports I have read, that sufficient precautions were taken.