Six months since the explosion, Senate has yet to act

Summary:

• Today marks the six-month anniversary of the explosion aboard the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that caused the death of 11 workers and initiated the worst oil disaster the U.S. has ever seen.
• Oil gushing from the broken BP Deepwater Horizon well has caused the death of thousands of animals in the Gulf of Mexico, many of which are endangered or threatened species, and continues to impact coastal communities and natural habitats. Toxic dispersants have complicated cleanup and recovery efforts.
• Congress has yet to pass legislation (S. 3663) that ensures safer operations in any water depth, provides better spill response, lifts the existing liability cap and secures funding for restoration efforts in the Gulf.

The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president for Defenders of Wildlife:

“If the explosion of an oil rig that leaves eleven people dead and results in the worst oil spill in our country’s history, devastating Gulf of Mexico communities and wildlife, does not move the Senate to act, what will it take? It’s been six months since the BP oil disaster began and the Senate has done nothing to improve even the most basic safety and response standards.

“The continued impacts of this disaster evident in our coastal waters and along the shoreline prove that current oil spill oversight, response capacity and safety standards are simply not sufficient to protect our environment or our coastal communities. The U.S. Senate must not continue to delay enacting improved safety measures, better spill prevention, an appropriate liability cap for any future accidents and desperately-needed restoration of the Gulf Coast. Unless the Senate passes this legislation, the clock is ticking until the next offshore oil disaster.”

Learn about how Defenders is working to protect American coastlines from dangerous offshore drilling.

See what you can do to help wildlife impacted by the Gulf oil disaster. 

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