"Oil Spill: Another Reason For Clean Energy Future"
Now, more than six weeks later, our sorrow is turning to anger and frustration. Oil - tens of thousands of barrels per day - continues to gush unabated from the ruptured wellhead nearly a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. Hundreds of federal officials and oil industry scientists, engineers, and officials continue to search for a way to stem the flow, to no avail, while relief wells are still two months away from coming on-line.
As attempt after attempt to shut off this broken faucet on the ocean floor has failed, the Gulf is becoming a sea of crude oil. The expanding oil slick now covers more than 30,000-square miles, an area roughly the size of the entire state of Maine. Nearly one-third of all federal waters in the Gulf have been closed to commercial fishing. Oil already has washed ashore in Louisiana and Mississippi, and is closing in on the coasts of Alabama and the Florida panhandle. With hurricane season now here, there are concerns that a powerful storm could drive the oil further inland, contaminating fragile marshlands and fresh drinking water supplies.
The expanding plume is menacing the fragile ecosystems in the Gulf, potentially damaging a vast array of sea life, the environment, and the futures of Americans who live and work along the Gulf Coast. We Mainers can well imagine the devastation. Imagine our fishing industry completely shut down and our tourism industry severely hobbled, with incalculable economic damage to our coastal communities and to our state. Imagine our beautiful coastline ruined for our own recreation and enjoyment. Imagine the harm to shorebirds and all of the marine and coastal wildlife we cherish.
I am committed to holding those responsible for the disaster accountable and to helping ensure that every reasonable measure is taken to prevent such a spill for occurring ever again. In May, our Homeland Security Committee held its first oversight hearing on the oil spill. Our witnesses were Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Rear Admiral Peter Neffenger of the Coast Guard, and Lamar McKay, chairman and president of British Petroleum.
The committee learned that after a sluggish and disjointed initial response, the company and the federal government have marshaled significant resources. Overall, however, what we heard was very discouraging - despite the known difficulties of working in the cold, dark, and unforgiving environment of the ocean depths, neither the industry nor the government had any concrete plans on hand for dealing with such a catastrophe. This is incredible and completely unacceptable.
It is imperative that such plans be developed. There are some 90 rigs drilling in the Gulf of Mexico right now, providing 1.7 million barrels of oil a day, or nearly one-third of total U.S. production. Less than one percent of active drilling platforms are searching for oil in waters deeper than 1,000 feet, yet 52 percent of all leases are in those deep waters. Clearly, companies believe there is much promise in deepwater drilling, and there could be a rapid expansion in this area in coming years. In light of this disaster, it is obvious that we need special requirements for drilling operations in these challenging conditions. And until the cause of this disaster is understood and remedied, there should be a moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits.
The Minerals Management Service within the Interior Department is charged with reviewing and approving oil spill response plans for offshore rigs like Deepwater Horizon. I am very concerned that MMS has not been requiring companies to demonstrate a sufficient level of preparedness and that there currently is no requirement for MMS to share oil spill response plans with the Coast Guard. Given its essential role in protecting our marine environment, Coast Guard approval of these plans is a commonsense change that the government should implement immediately.
The federal government and private sector have committed substantial resources to respond to this oil spill, and these efforts must certainly continue. With the Obama Administration's proposed $75 million cut to the Coast Guard's budget, however it is questionable whether the Coast Guard can maintain sufficient capabilities to respond to this and future disasters, along with performing its myriad other missions. Surely, this catastrophe should prompt the Administration to reconsider that unwise budget cut.
In addition to immediate changes in policies regarding offshore oil exploration and in the Coast Guard budget, this disaster reaffirms our nation's need for a national energy policy. While oil will remain a significant energy source for many years to come, it is long past time to begin the shift to clean, renewable sources.
As a longtime proponent of alternative energy, I am very excited by the role our state is playing in the development of deepwater, offshore wind energy. Led by the University of Maine Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center and with the support of Governor Baldacci, our state is well-positioned to become a powerhouse of clean energy and a provider of thousands of new "green energy" jobs.
I am delighted that U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has accepted my invitation to come to Maine to get a firsthand look at the remarkable work being done here in deepwater, offshore wind power. He will see both the latest in cutting-edge technology and a pristine coastline. We must expand and diversify American energy resources and, in doing so, improve our environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and spur the creation of green energy jobs. And Maine can lead the way.
