Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008

COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - April 24, 2008)

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Ms. VELÁZQUEZ. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of important language in Chairman Oberstar's manager's amendment to H.R. 2830, the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act. This amendment is critical for my constituents who live in the Greenpoint area in Brooklyn. I want to thank Chairman Oberstar and others on the Committee who saw the need for this language, and were willing to act on it.

This important amendment directs the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a follow up study on the Newtown Creek oil spill. The new EPA study builds upon my earlier effort with my distinguished colleague, Mr. Weiner, to get the EPA to issue a comprehensive report on the oil spill. That earlier report by the EPA, issued last fall, was an important step forward but it raised as many questions as it answered.

Mr. Chairman, it is appropriate that we are considering this issue on a Coast Guard bill. It was the Coast Guard, nearly 30 years ago, that discovered the Newtown Creek oil spill in Greenpoint. The spill is massive, and scientists lack accurate measurements of the scope and impact of the whole of the plume. That's why we need a full site characterization of the Creek, so we know just what is in, around and underneath the Creek bed.

The basic condition of the Creek was not comprehensively addressed in the earlier report. It's past time for a full site characterization of Newtown Creek. The goal not merely oil plume containment, but plume removal. We must help give this important waterway safely back to the community, for its use and enjoyment.

I also am deeply concerned about what threat this material poses to the public. A full site characterization should also allow us to better measure the public health impact of the oil spill. Residents in this part of Brooklyn suffer from asthma, emphysema and bronchitis at a 25 percent higher rate than the rest of the city. Child asthma hospital admissions are especially high. A full site characterization can help public health professionals draw conclusions about the impact of the oil spill on the health of the local community.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Mr. Weiner for his long-term partnership and hard work in addressing the serious public policy problem posed by the Newtown Creek Oil Spill. I would urge the EPA to seize upon these clear instructions from Congress, and help New York understand just what it is facing at Newtown Creek. Only a full site characterization can accomplish this worthy goal.

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