Steve Cohen: “Nearly 1 month after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, oil continues to flow from the well, poisoning…”

“Nearly 1 month after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, oil continues to flow from the well, poisoning and destroying our water environment. The rig activities were considered to be a low-risk drilling exploration. Such a classification sends chills up my spine, given the countless riskier drilling ventures occurring along the coasts of our great Nation. While millions of Americans watch the news and see the destruction of the gulf coast, the environment, and the economy of that area, I think of the thoughtless, baseless, cavalier Republican energy chant, 'Drill Baby Drill.' It echoes in the ears of the American public and anybody who cares about the gulf coast of the United States. 'Drill Baby Drill' was a simplistic response. We use 25.9 percent of the world's oil. We have 2.2 percent of the world's energy reserves. You don't have to be a math scholar or a Nobel Prize winner to know that won't work. You need to find alternative forms of energy. Use America's great research and brainpower. Harness solar. Harness the wind. Find new ways to help us with our problems with energy and not depend on fossil fuels, not ruin our environment, and not risk the flora and the fauna. Mr. Speaker, we have to find a new direction to be like America has been in the past: innovative and creative.”