REP Lauds Brown's Oil Spill Prevention Bill

June 21, 2010

A strong, bipartisan oil spill prevention bill co-sponsored by Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) should be enacted into law, Republicans for Environmental Protection, a national grassroots organization, said today.

The Oil Spill Prevention and Mitigation Improvement Act of 2010 would require that oil companies, before drilling in America’s offshore waters, have an effective spill response plan in place that has been vetted by independent experts and determined technically feasible by the Secretary of the Interior.

"We commend Senator Brown for sponsoring this common-sense and long overdue measure that will help ensure that spill prevention and response capabilities keep pace with drilling technology," REP Vice President for Government and Political Affairs David Jenkins said. "As the Deepwater Horizon spill has clearly proved, safeguards and response plans must be independently determined to be adequate before permission is given to drill."

"The recent disclosure that major oil companies are relying on cookbook spill response plans that describe protecting walruses in the subtropical Gulf of Mexico would be comical were the consequences of such sloppiness not so tragic for our Gulf of Mexico communities and environment," REP Vice President for Policy and Communications Jim DiPeso said.

"Senator Brown’s bill also would establish a high-level commission to recommend ways to improve spill prevention and mitigate the environmental damage that spills cause. We are confident that the legislation will result in far greater diligence from both the federal government and oil companies in protecting our country’s marine resources," DiPeso said.

"We thank Senator Brown for joining with Senator Dianne Feinstein in pushing this important legislation forward, and we urge the Senate and House to adopt it without delay," Jenkins said.