WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif) voted in favor of the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act (H.R. 3534), comprehensive legislation to ensure improved transparency, efficiency, and accountability in offshore oil and gas development. The bill also reduces the federal deficit by $5.3 billion over five years. The CLEAR Act was approved by a vote of 209-193.
“Today, the House has taken a critical step to rebuild the Gulf Coast, hold BP and oil companies accountable, and work to ensure that a spill of this kind never happens again,” said Capps. “Having seen the devastation caused by the 1969 spill first hand, I’m so proud to have cast this vote today. The BP Deepwater Horizon is game changing disaster, the effects of which will be felt for years if not decades to come. It needs a game changing response, and the CLEAR Act is part of the answer.”
The CLEAR Act will increase safety of offshore drilling, help restore the Gulf Coast, crack down on ethical lapses at MMS, require oil companies to be accountable for their actions, and close royalty loopholes to ensure the American people receive their fair share for drilling on public lands and other extraction of public resources. It will also take steps to implement a national ocean management policy. The CLEAR Act also incorporates provisions from the “Blowout Prevention Act of 2010” (H.R. 5626) by Chairman Waxman, which was reported unanimously by the House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman earlier this month by a vote of 48 to 0. It also includes provisions from the “Oil Spill Accountability and Environmental Protection Act” (H.R. 5629) by Chairman Oberstar, which was reported by voice vote by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
A copy of Capps’ floor statement as prepared for delivery is included below:
M_Speaker, I rise in strong support of the CLEAR Act.
BP’s oil spill is an unprecedented environmental disaster that has tragically resulted in the loss of human life and great economic harm.
BP must do everything possible to clean up the damage and make the people of the Gulf whole.
But the oil company’s catastrophe is also a sobering reminder of the serious risks from oil drilling.
We need a safer, cleaner, more economical approach to energy development, one that shifts us away from oil and toward renewable sources that can’t destroy our coasts.
While we can’t stop drilling overnight, we can do everything in our power to ensure that such a disaster never happens again.
Our Democratic-led Congress has vigorously investigated BP’s spill and offshore drilling.
What we’ve exposed is that the system for regulating offshore drilling is broken.
Always a dysfunctional agency, MMS management reached new lows during the Bush Administration.
An Inspector General report, for example, raised serious concerns about the, quote “ease with which safety inspectors move between industry and government.”
Oil companies were allowed to cut corners on safety and environmental protection.
And virtually no effort was put into preventing accidents and improving spill response technologies.
Basically, offshore drilling decisions were being made by the oil companies for their benefit instead of the public’s.
Sadly, the people in the Gulf are now paying the price.
That’s why it’s time to pass the CLEAR Act.
The CLEAR Act breaks up the scandal-ridden MMS, increases penalties for polluters, and places new standards on oil companies to prevent another blowout.
It pays down the deficit by closing loopholes that allow oil companies to drill on the public’s land without paying royalties.
It creates a new trust fund to protect and improve our ocean and coastal areas.
And it improves the Presidential Commission looking into the BP spill by providing it with subpoena power to make sure it can get to the bottom of what actually happened.
Mr. Speaker, there are lots of reasons for us to pass this bill.
But my greatest hope is that perhaps some good can come out of this tragedy.
Finally freeing ourselves from our costly oil addiction is the only fitting tribute to the terrible tragedy being borne by the people of the Gulf.
Vote YES on the CLEAR Act.
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