Delahunt Joins Congressmen in Urging Federal Protection from Oil Spills
Oil
Cape Cod Times
Paul Crocetti
Boston University Washington News Service
September 20, 2006
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20—Citing the Buzzards Bay oil spill of 2003, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.) and other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are urging the federal government to enforce more protective measures for the oil industry.
After the spill, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Oil Spill Prevention Act which would have regulated oil tankers while they were in Massachusetts waters, but a federal court overturned the law in July because it exceeded state authority.
A Sept. 14 letter to Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard commandant, signed by Delahunt and U.S. Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and James McGovern (D-Mass.) asks the federal government to adopt provisions of the state law.
“We were disappointed in the decision of the federal court because the state legislation was clearly satisfactory to us,” Delahunt said. “We believed it set all the standards that were necessary to not have a recurrence of an oil spill.”
The law’s provisions included instituting minimum watch and manning requirements for oil tankers and barges, mandating the use of state pilots to assist in navigating Buzzards Bay and mandating the use of tugboat escorts for all oil barges.
“What the congressmen are talking about is exactly what we need the federal government to do,” said Mark Rasmussen, executive director of the Coalition for Buzzards Bay. “The Coast Guard is the agency that can solve this problem. These are common-sense, reasonable measures that worked on Buzzards Bay for 18 months” before the court overturned the law.
According to Rasmussen, the letter is well-timed; the Coast Guard posted possible rule changes in the Federal Register in July and is looking for public comment.
“As the issue continues to move forward,” said Chief Scott Carr of the Coast Guard’s Boston public affairs office, “the Coast Guard looks forward to working with all the parties to make these rules right the first time.”
Delahunt said his office has a good relationship with the Coast Guard. He said he hopes to have a meeting in Washington with the agency in October.
“Adopting these preventative measures into federal statute would provide peace of mind to coastal communities and hopefully spur the companies running oil barges to be more cautious,” state Sen. Therese Murray (D-Barnstable), said in a statement.
The Bouchard Transportation Co.’s spill in Buzzards Bay on April 27, 2003, polluted 93 miles of coastline and killed more than 400 federally protected birds.
The heavy amount of traffic through Buzzards Bay and the urgency of the situation necessitated a joint effort by the three House members, Delahunt said.
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