Sen. Boxer Troubled by Coast Guard's Delay in Providing Accurate Information on Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay

Asks Coast Guard for briefing on the impact of spill

November 8, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today sent the following letter to the U.S. Coast Guard:

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November 8, 2007

Admiral Thad W. Allen
Commandant
United States Coast Guard
2100 Second Street, SW
Washington, DC 20593

Dear Admiral Allen,

As I am sure you are aware, yesterday morning at approximately 8:30 a.m. PST, a container ship struck the western span of the Bay Bridge, resulting in an approximately 100 foot gash in the hull and the puncture of a fuel tank.

Initially, the U.S. Coast Guard thought only 140 gallons had spilled from the vessel, which was the estimate reported by the ship’s owners. We have now learned that the magnitude of the spill was grossly underestimated, and the accident has resulted in the spill of 58,000 gallons of heavy-duty bunker fuel oil into the San Francisco Bay.

My immediate concern is for the health and safety of the public as well as the birds, fish and wildlife of the Bay. To that end, it is crucial that the U.S. Coast Guard work in conjunction with the relevant federal, state, and local agencies to effectively mitigate this oil spill as quickly as possible.

But I am also very troubled by the Coast Guard’s delay in delivering accurate information to the public and the city of San Francisco. Many questions remain as to why it took an entire day to determine the gravity of this spill, and whether the Coast Guard took appropriate measures to conduct drug and alcohol tests on the ship’s pilot and navigators in a timely fashion.

I know my staff had a preliminary discussion with officials this afternoon, but I would like the U.S. Coast Guard to provide me with a phone briefing on the status of this oil spill, its current and projected impacts, and the actions the U.S. Coast Guard has taken with regard to containment and clean-up as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Cc: Vice Admiral Charles D. Wurster, Pacific Area Commander, U.S.C.G.
Captain William Uberti, San Francisco Sector Commander, U.S.C.G.

Source: Senator Barbara Boxer