Statement on Hearing to Examine San Francisco Oil Spill

Washington, DC— Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, released the following statement announcing his intention to convene a hearing by the Subcommittee to address procedures for dealing with oil spills. The hearing comes in response to the oil spill in the San Francisco Bay that occurred on Wednesday after a cargo ship bumped into the Bay Bridge.

 

“The consequences of the oil spill in the San Francisco Bay have been devastating to the marine environment, and I am deeply troubled by the reports and pictures of dead and oil-covered birds, seals, and porpoises.

 

“I am very concerned that the Coast Guard was apparently unaware of the extent of this disaster and that they were not adequately prepared to handle a spill of this magnitude. There is an extreme difference between the 140 gallons of spilled oil initially reported by the Coast Guard and the nearly 60,000 gallons that we now hear have been spilled.

 

“For this reason, the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation will hold a hearing as soon as the Congressional schedule permits. This hearing will examine the adequacy of the system for reporting oil spills and the effectiveness of the Coast Guard response. We must determine how to best prevent such devastation from occurring in the future.”