Hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee - Gulf Oil Spill

Press Release

Today, in a House Natural Resources committee hearing, U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) criticized the Administration's handling of the Gulf oil spill.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar testified at the hearing.

Lummis released the following statement after the hearing:

"While the President recently cautioned against pointing fingers, the Interior Secretary used today's hearing to blame, once again, the Bush Administration. When will the Obama Administration begin to take ownership and lead?

"Clean up and containment solutions must be the Administration's top priority. This disaster took eleven lives and the leak is wreaking havoc on the environment and people's livelihoods. BP and the Administration have a responsibility to do everything they can to find a workable solution to stop the spill and clean up the Gulf.

"Further, it was revealed that a father and son Minerals Management Service (MMS) offshore inspection team were the last to inspect the Deepwater Horizon drilling operation before it exploded -- this after the MMS Director testified about the importance of inspector checks and balances. The offshore inspectors are unionized and subject to labor agreements that include travel restrictions and work hour limits. The appropriateness of unionized inspectors must be discussed in the weeks to come.

"America deserves a quality regulatory environment in addition to capable operators conducting its offshore oil production.

"Today's finger-pointing by the Obama Administration accomplishes neither."

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