October, 20 2010, 12:24pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Gwen Dobbs, Director of Media Relations,(202) 772-0269,newsroom@defenders.org
Six Months Since the Explosion, Senate Has Yet to Act
The following is a
statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president for
Defenders of Wildlife:
"If the explosion of an oil rig that leaves eleven people dead and
results in the worst oil spill in our country's history, devastating
Gulf of Mexico communities and wildlife, does not move the Senate to
act, what will it take? It's been six months since the BP oil disaster
began and the Senate has done nothing to improve even the most basic
safety and response standards.
WASHINGTON
The following is a
statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president for
Defenders of Wildlife:
"If the explosion of an oil rig that leaves eleven people dead and
results in the worst oil spill in our country's history, devastating
Gulf of Mexico communities and wildlife, does not move the Senate to
act, what will it take? It's been six months since the BP oil disaster
began and the Senate has done nothing to improve even the most basic
safety and response standards.
"The continued impacts of this disaster evident in our coastal waters
and along the shoreline prove that current oil spill oversight,
response capacity and safety standards are simply not sufficient to
protect our environment or our coastal communities. The U.S. Senate must
not continue to delay enacting improved safety measures, better spill
prevention, an appropriate liability cap for any future accidents and
desperately-needed restoration of the Gulf Coast. Unless the Senate
passes this legislation, the clock is ticking until the next offshore
oil disaster."
Summary:
Today marks the six-month anniversary of the
explosion aboard the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that caused the
death of 11 workers and initiated the worst oil disaster the U.S. has
ever seen.Oil gushing from the broken BP Deepwater Horizon well
has caused the death of thousands of animals in the Gulf of Mexico,
many of which are endangered or threatened species, and continues to
impact coastal communities and natural habitats. Toxic dispersants have
complicated cleanup and recovery efforts.Congress has yet to pass legislation (S. 3663) that
ensures safer operations in any water depth, provides better spill
response, lifts the existing liability cap and secures funding for
restoration efforts in the Gulf.
###
Links:
See what you can do to help wildlife impacted by the Gulf oil disaster.
Defenders of Wildlife is the premier U.S.-based national conservation organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of imperiled species and their habitats in North America.
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