Byron Dorgan: “I wish to say a few words about the oilspill in the gulf and what has or has not been happening recently. I don't think…”

“I wish to say a few words about the oilspill in the gulf and what has or has not been happening recently. I don't think there is an American citizen who can really avoid seeing on television or hearing on the radio or reading in the newspapers about the devastating consequences of the oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico. The fact is, we have drilled for oil and have been producing oil in the gulf for a long time, dating back to the 1940s. I believe something like 50,000 wells have been dug offshore. So it is not a surprise that there has been oil development offshore in this country, and we have achieved drilling a fair amount of oil for the needs of this country. But it is also the case that deep well drilling--in this case, a well that is drilled into the ocean floor a full mile below the surface of the water and then down another 30,000 feet below that--is a very different situation. It is also now clear that this company, the company that was engaged in drilling this well, did not have the wherewithal, the technical capability to decide: If something disastrous happens, we should be able to shut down the gusher of oil. I would have thought and would have expected that the company would have covered the worst possible circumstances. What if the worst thing happens? Do we have the capability to address it? The answer at this point is no. This is the 50th day in which oil has been gushing out into the Gulf of Mexico from this oil rig blowup.”