WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Senate Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard Subcommittee today convened a hearing on lessons in prevention, response, and restoration from the Gulf oil spill.  The hearing examined the ongoing response to and lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  In addition, the Subcommittee addressed the continuing challenges relevant agencies and stakeholders face in the wake of the spill, the state of progress of damage assessment and restoration activities, and recommendations for improving the nation’s oil spill prevention and response capacity, and ensuring the long term successful restoration in the Gulf.          

Witness List:

Panel I

Rear Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security, and Stewardship, United States Coast Guard

Mr. David M. Kennedy, Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Panel II

The Honorable Grover C. Robinson, Commissioner, Escambia County, Florida

Dr. R. Eugene Turner, Chaired Professor, Distinguished Research Master, and Distinguished Faculty, Louisiana State University

Mr. Erik Milito, Group Director for Upstream Operations, American Petroleum Institute

Mr. Jim Ayers, Senior Advisor, Ocean Conservancy 

Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing:

“Our nation found itself in uncharted waters in its early response to the spill, and now we continue to navigate an uncertain path towards full economic recovery and environmental restoration for the Gulf.  Agencies, states, and local economies are hampered by the lack of funding and clear authority.  We must take whatever steps are necessary to make sure a catastrophe like this never happens again.” 

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

“We need to rededicate ourselves to taking the prudent steps to ensure spills like the Exxon Valdez and the Macondo blowout never happen again.  Doing this will require the vigilance and cooperation of industry, regulators, local communities and states.  While the risks taken and mistakes made leading up to the Deepwater Horizon disaster were reckless and flagrant, our response to it must be thoughtful and measured.”

Senator Mark Begich, Chairman, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard

“Although the role and functions of the NIC [National Incident Command] evolved considerably during the response, the NIC concept proved to be an extremely effective command organization that promoted unity of effort across all levels of government, ensured that timely information was provided to the public and first responders, and efficiently marshaled the resources of the federal government, private sector, and international sources to combat this unprecedented oil spill.”

Rear Admiral Paul F. Zukunft, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security, and Stewardship, United States Coast Guard

“The task of quantifying the environmental damage from this spill is no small feat.  NOAA knows that our efforts are just one of the many pieces required to restore the larger ecosystem within the Gulf.  I would like to assure you that we will not relent in our efforts to protect the livelihoods of Gulf Coast residents and mitigate the environmental impacts of this spill.  In the wake of such an event, we are reminded of the fragility of our coastal ecosystems and the dependence of coastal economies on the health and prosperity of our seas.”

Mr. David M. Kennedy, Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

“We must now turn this disaster around and seize the opportunities before us.  We must take the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and reform OPA [Oil Pollution Act].  We must take the opportunity through the NRDA [Natural Resource Damage Assessment] process to help our environment fully recover from the tar on our white sand.  And we must take the opportunity to use the Clean Water Act fines to invest in the Gulf Coast and help our economies not just survive this disaster but thrive in spite of it.”

The Honorable Grover C. Robinson, Commissioner, Escambia County, Florida

“The ecosystem consequences of exposures to and incorporation of toxicants at the base of the pelagic food chains and the massive organic carbon subsidy to the shallow and deep ocean remain uncertain, requiring new advances in oil spill oceanography to assess.  The illumination of the indirect impacts and the dismissal of many presumed impacts will play out for decades in the scientific literature, in government reports, and in the courts.”

Dr. R. Eugene Turner, Chaired Professor, Distinguished Research Master, and Distinguished Faculty, Louisiana State University

“It’s now been more than a year since the tragic Macondo well accident.  We cannot forget that the industry and the nation lost 11 workers that day, and our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the families of those workers.  To be certain, the incident has provided us with a sobering reminder that we must maintain a laser focus on safety as the priority in operations.”

Mr. Erik Milito, Group Director for Upstream Operations, American Petroleum Institute

“Successful restoration of the Gulf ecosystem will require a common vision of restoration, one that embraces the entire ecosystem, from coasts and marshes to the open water environments that stretch out beyond the shoreline.  It will also demand the development and implementation of a comprehensive, integrated, Gulf?wide, science?based strategy and program.  This program must be built on strong public participation and must incorporate external scientific peer review at every level.  Finally, all restoration projects should have clear, measurable goals and be rigorously screened using objective criteria.”

Mr. Jim Ayers, Senior Advisor, Ocean Conservancy

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