SEEC: On anniversary of oil spill disaster Congress must address drilling safety

WASHINGTON, DC - On the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the members of the House of Representatives Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition (SEEC) again called for congressional action to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Commission on the BP Oil Spill. The commission’s report, released in February, urged the Congress to strengthen oversight of offshore drilling, and indicated that congressional action was necessary in order to avoid the possibility of another disastrous spill. SEEC co-chairs Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Steve Israel (D-NY), and vice chairs Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Paul Tonko (D-NY) released the following statement on behalf of the 48-member coalition:

“The United States Congress owes it to the workers who lost their lives one year ago, the coastal communities that lost their livelihoods, and to the American people, to pass legislation that will address the systemic failures of the oil and gas drilling industry, increase worker safety and protection for U.S. coasts and lands, and hold Big Oil accountable for its spills. We commend the Administration for its progress in implementing many necessary changes, however more is needed. The commission made it plainly clear: Another disaster is more likely to occur if the Congress fails to act.

“Furthermore, we commend the President for his call to reduce America’s oil dependence, and for the actions taken by his Administration toward that goal. The United States does not have enough oil reserves to satisfy its demand, and even increased domestic oil production will not adequately reduce gas prices for consumers. However, by increasing vehicle fuel efficiency standards the U.S. has taken its greatest step in thirty years to reduce its oil demand, and will save consumers billions of dollars in fuel costs. SEEC supports policies to reduce America’s dependence on oil and other costly, finite fossil fuel energy resources, and that will promote a transition to a cleaner, more efficient and secure energy economy.”

In February 2011 SEEC sent a letter to House Republican leaders urging them to prioritize legislative action to address the commission’s findings; to increase oversight of drilling activities, and provide stronger safety standards and better protections for America’s communities and environment. Since that time, the House Republican majority has failed to act on the report, and is instead working to pass legislation to open more coasts and lands to increased drilling, and to remove essential environmental safeguards.

Individual SEEC members have proposed legislation to strengthen the safety and environmental standards that govern offshore drilling activities, and that would hold BP and other responsible companies accountable for the costs of their oil spill. Last year, the Democratically-controlled House passed the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act (H.R. 3534), which SEEC helped to write and to pass, and which addressed many of the commission’s concerns. However that bill was not considered in the U.S. Senate.

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The Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition (SEEC) is a coalition of forty-eight Democratic members of the House of Representatives that was founded in January 2009 to be a focused, active, and effective caucus for advancing “policies that promote clean energy technology innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, and create green collar jobs throughout the product supply-chain, and polices to help arrest global warming and protect our nation’s clean air, water and natural environment.” SEEC is co-chaired by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Steve Israel (D-NY). SEEC vice chairs are Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jared Polis (D-CO), and Paul Tonko (D-NY).