Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations For Fiscal Year 2010 - Continued

Floor Speech

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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Will the Senator yield for a question before the ruling is made?

Mr. VITTER. Certainly.

Ms. MURKOWSKI. I wanted to tell the Senator from Louisiana, because we had an opportunity yesterday when we went to his home State, traveled there with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Homeland Security, we saw the spill from the air. We were at Port Fourchon. We heard the testimony from fishermen. We heard the testimony from those who are in the charter business. We heard testimony from the oystermen. We heard from parish mayors and heard their concerns about what will happen to them, their futures, their economic futures and that of their families. The concerns that were raised, of course, were that they be fully and fairly compensated.

Is it the Senator's intention, then, that the statements that have been made by the executives from British Petroleum, the sworn testimonies we have had in the Energy Committee, and I know they have testified in other committees, that the commitments from British Petroleum would be codified as waivers of the liability caps which the Senators from New Jersey have talked about? Is it correct, then, that it is the intention of the Senator from Louisiana that these commitments would then be made enforceable under law so that the heart of this debate is understandably about not whether BP will pay but how long it will take for the victims to be compensated?

Mr. VITTER. That is absolutely my intention. That is what this bill would do. Several Senators on the other side correctly pointed out that we should not depend on the goodwill of BP. So let's not depend on the goodwill of BP. Let's fix it here. Let's fix it now. BP has made this offer. They have even put it in writing. My bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to accept that offer and codify this in the law so that with regard to BP and with regard to this ongoing crisis, there is no cap on economic damages.

The second half of the bill would set up an expedited claims process to ensure that the folks hurting on the ground in Louisiana and perhaps eventually elsewhere are helped in a timely way.

Ms. MURKOWSKI. If I may follow up with the Senator from Louisiana on the expedited claims process, this is something we heard yesterday, the concerns from those saying they don't believe the claims process is transparent, is efficient, is easy enough. Are there the translators necessary to help those, for instance, Vietnamese shrimpers? Do we have the processes in place? If I understand the intention of the Senator from Louisiana with the expedited claims process, it is designed to not only make it more transparent but make it more readily accessible in terms of multiple resource centers; also establishes an advisory committee that consists of representatives of claimants of the responsible parties. We heard yesterday that people who have been affected want to know they are dealing with somebody in a position of authority to answer their questions, address their concerns. We understand that within this advisory committee on Deepwater Horizon compensation, these individuals will advise the administrator.

There are also other provisions that are designed to protect the interests of the claimants, one of which I think is very important; that is, that those who may have filed incomplete claims because they simply were not aware of all the information that is needed, are notified by the administrator and allow the administrator to conduct hearings in a manner that best determines the rights of the parties.

I think it is critically important that these processes be put in place. I stand with my colleague from Louisiana in supporting this effort, this measure, and ensuring that through this, BP is held directly accountable, and to make sure there is an accelerated path to recovery for the growing number of victims in the gulf.

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