FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
JUNE 30, 2010
SARAH DANKANICH
(910) 476-9783
FULL TEXT OF STATEMENT FROM PANTANO PRESS CONFERENCE:
THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO THE GULF OIL DISASTER IS NOT ENOUGH.
DAY 71 OF THIS DISASTER AND HURRICANES HAVE BEGUN . FEDERAL
OFFICALS MUST “LEAN INTO IT” AND DO MORE: SUSPEND THE JONES ACT
AND LOOSEN RESTRCITIONS ON AID.
In 1987, the North Carolina coast got a red tide from the Gulf of Mexico. We can’t afford
a black tide from the Gulf during Hurricane Season in 2010.
Hurricane Alex is projected to make landfall along the Texas/Mexico Border, we should
heed this hurricane as a warning. Hurricane season will reshape the recovery efforts in
the Gulf of Mexico and delays could impact us here in North Carolina.
Hurricane Alex, even though it is centered in the Western Gulf far away from the
Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill site, has already had a devastating impact on
cleanup and recovery efforts. Due to this hurricane, BP has been forced to delay by
one week the implementation of equipment that could significantly increase the amount
of oil that can be captured from the well. Skimming ships were forced back to port on
Tuesday, and all skimming efforts were halted off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama, and Florida.
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Could you imagine the impact of a direct hit to the spill site from a major
hurricane? Efforts to contain the flow of oil and the drilling of the two relief wells could
be delayed for weeks. Equipment and vessels could be damaged or ruined. Workers
would be forced to evacuate from the coast to reduce the risk to their lives.
And what if those efforts fail entirely? What is plan B?
This is not “make believe.” This is a very real threat. Four major hurricanes have
hit at or near the spill site since 2005. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration is predicting an “active to extremely active” hurricane season with
8 to 14 hurricanes including 3 to 7 major hurricanes.
Do you know what the scariest thing is about a hurricane making a direct hit on the spill
site? No one knows what impact a hurricane could have on the oil floating in the gulf.
Would it push the oil inland? Will it turn to acid rain? Or would it accelerate the rate of oil
hitting the Gulf Stream, riding it around Florida and up the East Coast to North
Carolina?
Currently, most experts say that the odds are low that oil from the spill will hit our coast.
However, the National Center for Atmospheric Research has issued computer models
that show, thanks to the Gulf Stream, that oil from the Gulf could have the capability to
reach our shores. A direct hit from a hurricane on the spill site could greatly increase
the odds of the oil reaching us and make those computer models a reality.
The moment that the first news report goes out that a tar ball from the Gulf has hit the
sand at one of our beaches, tourists from across the nation will be canceling their
summer trips and consumers will be scared to eat seafood caught off our coast.
This would be an economic disaster. Thousands of jobs would be lost in industries as
varied as tourism, commercial fishing, and the shipping industry. Even real estate
would suffer. The effect would be felt beyond the coastlines of Brunswick, New
Hanover, and Pender counties. And what if oil is brought ashore with storm surge or
hurricane winds? How would clean up be impacted then?
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Lets explore just one dimension: North Carolina has more than 8,500 licensed
commercial fishermen and 738 licensed seafood dealers. The commercial fishing
industry generates nearly 6,000 jobs and more than $140 million for the state's
economy. Recreational fishing is also very important economically and culturally in
coastal North Carolina. North Carolina also has about 1.9 million licensed recreational
anglers, not including those fishing on ocean piers and charter boats or those under age
16. The Marine Recreational Statistics Survey estimates these coastal anglers make
approximately 6.9 million trips in North Carolina waters per year. The direct
expenditures created by the state's beaches and inlets are approximately $3.0 billion
resulting in 39,500 jobs. When multiplier effects are added, these numbers rise to $4.9
billion and 62,800 respectively.
I was a Red Cross Volunteer down in Alabama and Mississippi and I saw that
devastation up close. I don’t want a repeat here. Adding an oil slick to a hurricane is
almost unthinkable. That is why we can’t afford to wait.
Southeastern North Carolina already has some of the highest unemployment rates in
the nation. Our economy cannot take another hit.
As a former Marine, I know that the best defense is to take charge and attack the
problem before it gets to us. We must be proactive. While Congressman McIntyre
is calling an “oil spill preparedness meeting” to make sure we’re ready if the oil hits our
coast, I believe we as a nation must do everything in our power to clean up this spill
before it ever has a chance to reach our coast.
It sickens me to see the photos showing the impact the oil spill is having along the Gulf
region. I do not want to see one picture of a tar ball on one of our beautiful North
Carolina beaches.
It is imperative that starting today, before hurricane season heats up and a hurricane
makes a direct hit on the spill site, all available resources, domestic and foreign, public,
and private, that could aid in the cleanup in the gulf be fully utilized. We cannot afford to
wait another day.
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As I stand here at this podium the world’s largest oil-skimmer ship, the “A Whale,” a
ship flying under the Taiwanese flag, is still not working in the Gulf. The “A Whale” is
capable of processing approximately 500,000 barrels of oily water every day, an amount
almost equal to processing capacity of the entire oil skimmer fleet currently operating in
the Gulf.
Why is the “A Whale” not in this fight right now? Why is it not assisting in the Gulf?
Because of the 1920 Jones Act, which essentially mandates that ships performing
commercial acts in U.S. waters must be “U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United
States, owned by U.S. citizens and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent
residents.” There is also the EPA rule that says ships like the “A Whale” which process
oily water, must retune a nearly impossible standard of oil free water back to the ocean.
In this case the EPA’s 99.99895% percent purity standard is ridiculous!
It is past time for the Obama administration to waive the Jones Act and suspend this
EPA rule. Within days of Hurricane Katrina President Bush waived the Jones Act and
allowed foreign vessels into U.S. waters to provide aid. In a time of crisis, efforts to
protect our environment and make it cleaner should not be impeded by an EPA rule. If
the Administration won’t waive the Jones Act and won’t suspend this EPA rule, then
Congress should act immediately to suspend the Act and to instruct the EPA to waive
this rule.
Today, on the 71st day of this disaster, our government has received offers of
assistance from 32 countries and international organizations according to the State
Department Website. However, we have only accepted assistance from a fraction of
these countries and international bodies. See for yourself at the State Department Link
available at PantanoForCongress.com.
As of just last week (June 22nd), only 1/100th of the skimmers available in the US had
been deployed to the Gulf. On June 17th, the Federal Government shutdown 16 “oilsucking” barges in the Gulf, ordered by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, that were
sucking up thousands of gallons of oil a day. What was the purpose for the federal
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government shutting down these barges and call them in to port? The purpose was to
allow the Coast Guard to inspect them for fire extinguishers and life jackets.
These are just a few examples of the federal government failing to lead the way in
ensuring a rapid and successful clean up effort. The failure to utilize all available
resources is unacceptable and will not happen on my watch.
Our coastline, our families and our livelihoods are at risk, and it is not enough to deal
with this problem when it arrives.
Cleaning up Wrightsville Beach, where I ran this morning, will not be good enough.
Cleaning the Intracoastal Waterway, where I swim, will not be good enough.
“After the fact” is not good enough when the equivalent of 3 entire tankers
(500,000bblsx3) of Oil are being sunk in the Gulf every two weeks.
The President has suggested this disaster has “echoes of 9/11.”
Well we must go fight this problem at the source and not wait for it to come and hit us
and our families here in our homes.
The Federal Government must act now to ensure that all available resources are being
used and used to their full capabilities.
We must act for the sake of our friends in the gulf.
We must act for the sake of our families and our way of life and to protect our coastline
here.
This district needs a Congressman who would sponsor legislation to waive or repeal the
Jones Act; a Congressman who would fight to make sure all available resources from all
sources are being utilized to ensure that oil from this spill will not reach our precious
coast.
A congressman who will challenge the president to do more.
The 7th District deserves a Congressman who will lead from the front.
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