Yesterday, the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee held a hearing in the wake of the recent San Francisco oil spill on the impact and the need for preventive rules that will protect our waterways and coastlines from this hazard.
Senator Kerry spoke on the topic and specifically on the impact of the Buzzards Bay spill, the Coast Guard opposition to the Massachusetts legislation, and the continuing effort to recover from the 2003 disaster.
“The Buzzards Bay oil spill caused severe damage to the bay's fragile ecosystem and shellfishing activities. It’s incredible that almost five years later, the community is still dealing with the after effects, and the Coast Guard is still fighting new protective measures,” said Senator Kerry. “1.6 billion gallons of fuel travel through Buzzards Bay each year, and local entities have the specialized knowledge to help prevent future oil spills. While the Coast Guard has done a good job responding to the oil spill, they haven’t been nearly as constructive preventing the next disaster. Preempting the State law which will help prevent future oil spills is a mistake we can’t afford. The number and severity of oil spills in Buzzards Bay are proof enough that this area needs the preventative actions that the state law intended.”
