Matsui Statement on Two Year Anniversary of BP Oil Spill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 20, 2012

CONTACT: ALANA JUTEAU
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Matsui Statement on Two Year Anniversary of BP Oil Spill
Says Congress Should Have Already Acted to Prevent a Repeated Incident

Today, on the two year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed eleven crew members and leaked an estimated 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) released the following statement:

"Two years ago today, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the loss of eleven American lives and the worst environmental disaster in our nation's history. The BP Oil Spill devastated the ecosystems and economies of the Gulf Coast, and the region continues to struggle as a result.

"Yet, on Tuesday, the independent BP Spill Commission released their report showing that Congress has not yet taken the recommended and necessary steps to prevent such an incident from occurring again. Enactment of the Commission's recommendations should be bipartisan, but it has been road-blocked in the Republican House. Itand#39;s time for the House Majority to stop protecting Big Oil and start protecting American lives - before another tragedy occurs."

As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Congresswoman Matsui was an active participant in the hearings following the BP Oil Spill. As part of the Subcommittee on the Environment and the Economy and a Vice Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, she continues to advocate for necessary regulations that will both protect the environment, and lives.

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