On the recordJune 8, 2010
I have watched the oilspill in the gulf very closely. But I say to everyone within the sound of my voice, you do not have to have longstanding experience on the Environment and Public Works Committee to understand how terrible this has been to the environment. We do not know the outcome of the degradation to our environment as a result of this tragedy, and that is what it is. The Coast Guard admiral who is in charge has indicated there is no longer a plume. There is oil going in different places. Remember, the oil well is a mile below the surface of the ocean. So there are tar balls, sheets of oil for hundreds and hundreds of miles. Sadly, the worst is probably yet to come. The one thing we tend not to focus on very much is the loss of life. Of course, we see the dead animals, and that is tragic. It is so sad. A pelican is an animal. It is not on the endangered species list. We took it off that list in the last year or so. Now these animals are dying by the dozens every day.
