Speaker Pelosi Statement on Coast Guard’s Incident Specific Preparedness Review of San Francisco Bay Oil Spill

January 28, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.— House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement in response to today’s release of the Coast Guard’s Incident Specific Preparedness Review assessing their response to November’s oil spill in San Francisco Bay:

“Many mistakes were made during the response to the recent oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The serious consequences of those mistakes for the ecosystem, the fisherman and businesses whose livelihoods depend on the Bay, and the millions of Bay Area residents who value this precious resource, demands a careful examination of this environmental catastrophe.

“In the Incident Specific Preparedness Review released today, the Coast Guard acknowledges that it must do better in key areas, especially the assessment of the spill’s magnitude, notification of local officials and utilization of volunteers. It is unacceptable that Coast Guard personnel were both unprepared to assess a disaster of this magnitude and ill-equipped to take advantage of the many resources at their disposal immediately following the disaster.

“We are also awaiting the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation and the criminal probe being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Francisco. In addition, I added language to the fiscal 2008 Homeland Security appropriations bill to initiate an independent review by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General. That investigation is currently underway and will further examine the Coast Guard’s response, including the management of available resources and whether current emergency response plans for the Bay are sufficient. The language requires a final report by April 1st.

“These investigations, along with today’s report, will give us a clear picture of what went wrong, how we can prevent similar catastrophes in the future, and how we can be much better prepared when emergencies do occur. I look forward to working with the Coast Guard, state and local officials, Bay Area environmental groups, the local fishing community and other impacted parties to determine the exact changes that must be made going forward.”

Source: Speaker Nancy Pelosi

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