Expressing Condolences For Victims Of Tesoro Refinery Fire In Anacortes, Washington
Floor Speech
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Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee for their assistance in bringing the resolution to the House floor.
Madam Speaker, on April 2, Washington State experienced a tragedy when a fire occurred in the Naphtha Hydrotreater unit at the Tesoro oil refinery in Anacortes, Washington, in my district. Six workers died as a result of the fire. One more was burned and remains in intensive care.
I offer my condolences to the families, the friends and loved ones of the victims of this fire. My thoughts and prayers are with Tesoro's employees and everyone from the city of Anacortes and the State of Washington and our country who grieve for the workers who died and who suffered injury.
I encourage my colleagues to join with me in supporting this resolution to honor the lives of Matthew Bowen, Darrin Hoines, Dan Aldridge, Kathryn Powell, Donna Van Dreumel and Lew Janz.
This resolution also expresses the best wishes of Congress to Matt Gumbel, who was severely burned in the fire and is currently in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. I hope that Matt recovers as quickly as possible from these terrible injuries.
And earlier this week, Madam Speaker, I received a letter from the CEO of Tesoro and the chair of United Steelworkers Local 12-591 expressing support for this resolution. And I'd like to enter this letter in the Congressional Record.
Multiple Federal, State and local agencies, including the Chemical Safety Board, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, are currently investigating the cause of the fire. I strongly support the work they are doing to help us understand what happened and how to prevent a similar accident in the future.
And although most Americans don't associate northwest Washington with oil and gas, Skagit and Whatcom Counties in my district have been home to major oil refineries for over five decades. The four refineries in northwest Washington process a combined 500,000 barrels of oil a day. These refineries are central to the local economy, employing nearly 2,500 people and supplying over $200 million in wages to workers and contractors.
The refining industry is inherently hazardous. As one refinery employee in my district put it, ``We don't bake cookies; we bake oil.''
That being said, preventing accidents that harm workers is vitally important. As the fire at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes fades from newspaper headlines, we must remain sharply focused on worker safety, at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes and at refineries and industrial sites around the country.
While it's not possible to prevent all refinery accidents, we need to learn from what happened in Anacortes. We need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to reduce the risk of similar accidents in the future.
So I urge my colleagues to join with me in supporting this resolution expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to those who lost families, friends and loved ones in this terrible, terrible tragedy.
April 20, 2010.
Hon. RICK LARSEN,
U.S. Congress,
Washington, DC.
DEAR CONGRESSMAN LARSEN: The Tesoro Corporation, United Steelworkers Local 12-591, and our family of employees wish to express our collective gratitude for your Resolution being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives that expresses condolences for and honors the victims of the recent tragic fire at our Anacortes, Washington facility. We are deeply touched by your concern and that of your colleagues in the House. Please know that we welcome and appreciate the comfort your words provide to all those affected.
Bruce Smith,
Chairman & CEO, Tesoro Corporation.
Walter Cleve,
United Steel Workers Union, Local 12-591 Unit Chair.
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