Why Congress didn’t pass a single oil spill law (but the Washington state legislature did)
150 bills were introduced to improve the safety and oversight of offshore drilling and nothing happened. There were more than 60 hearings to discuss the spill's causes and consequences with regulators, oil company officials, grieving relatives and Gulf-area fishermen and nothing happened. Where is the voice of the famililies of those killed in the explosion?
The Huffington Post reports soon after his son Gordon died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion last April, Keith Jones made eight trips to Washington D.C. to push for stronger safety measures in offshore oil drilling and to increase the compensation paid to victims of the tragic accident. He met with President Obama, who apologized for the families' "unimaginable grief" and cradled Gordon's baby boy Maxwell in his arms.
When Jones arrived on Capitol Hill, he says he was mobbed by Senators and Representatives eager to express their condolences and to promise that they would swiftly pass legislation to make sure such a tragedy never happens again.
He is still waiting.
On a much smaller scale, it's important to know oil companies lost in Olympia.
The senate approved legislation that strengthens regulation of oil companies and requires stronger oil spill contingency plans. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Christine Rolfes (D-23, Bainbridge Island). Oil companies have fought the bill for obvious reasons: The companies will have to pay for new equipment. Additionally, Rolfe’s legislation raises spill liability costs from $1 to $100 per gallon up to $3 to $300 per gallon. Only two senators voted against the legislation—Sen. Jeff Baxter (R-4, Spokane Valley) and Sen. Jerome Delvin (R-8, Richland). According the Public Disclosure Commission, Delvin received donations from Chevron, Conoco Phillips, and BP during his 2010 election campaign.
Late last week, two bills (S.861 and S.862) were introduced in the Senate calling for 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the BP oil disaster to return to the Gulf Coast. While this is an encouraging step, much more needs to be done to finally address the recovery needs of struggling Gulf communities.
