Congressman Al Green Travels to Louisiana to Assess the Efforts to Contain Oil Spill

(Washington, DC)--This week, Congressman Al Green (TX-09), along with other members of the House Committee on Homeland Security, travelled to the Gulf Coast Region to get a first hand look at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In his most recent trip to the region, Congressman Al Green learned about the latest developments in the response efforts to stop one of the most catastrophic environmental disasters in American history.

“There is still much work to be done and certainly stopping the leak remains a top priority. However, the great difficulty still remains the fact that the well is one mile under the surface of the sea,” said Congressman Al Green after flying over the affected area to assess the scope and effects of the spill.

“The Deepwater Horizon tragedy is more than a wake up call. We received the wake up call when the BP refinery located in Texas City exploded in March of 2005 killing 15 workers. This is a second alarm which demands that we take the necessary actions to prevent another tragedy of this kind,” Congressman Al Green said.

This has been Congressman Al Green’s second trip to the Gulf of Mexico this month. He previously visited the affected areas during the Memorial Day district work period.  In that visit, Green flew over the zone where the spill originated and was briefed at the Unified Area Command.

In an effort to contain the oil spill, measures have been taken to protect the coastline, including the deployment of 2.42 million feet of containment boom and 3.65 million feet of sorbent boom. Additionally, more than 6,000 vessels are expected to respond on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment, as well as cleanup efforts. Aircrafts and remote operated vehicles are also working on these tasks, along with thousands of personnel.

“We are truly confronting one of the great tragedies of our time. The environment is at risk and lives have been lost. No matter what we do, it won’t be enough because lives can’t be replaced. At such times as these, when we can’t do enough, we must do all that we can,” Congressman Al Green said.