BETHEL, N.C. - Billy Kennedy, candidate for Congress from western North Carolina, issued the following statement after President Obama's Oval Office Address on the Gulf Oil Disaster:
"Last week in her town hall phone-in, Rep. Virginia Foxx said she didn't understand why President Obama didn't immediately send 'big ships' to the Gulf to sop up all the oil."
"The fact is there are 8,100 vessels responding to the Gulf oil disaster. The Congresswoman's understanding of this spill is simplistic, and her suggested solution is naïve."
"Livelihoods are lost, and a national treasure faces devastation. A government panel of scientists has now determined that the well is leaking as much as 2.52 million gallons a day. The oil continues to threaten not only Gulf shores but North Carolina shores and our way of life as well. The clean-up and recovery will take the commitment of generations and billions of dollars."
"Last week in her town hall phone-in, Rep. Virginia Foxx said she didn't understand why President Obama didn't immediately send 'big ships' to the Gulf to sop up all the oil."
"The fact is there are 8,100 vessels responding to the Gulf oil disaster. The Congresswoman's understanding of this spill is simplistic, and her suggested solution is naïve."
"Livelihoods are lost, and a national treasure faces devastation. A government panel of scientists has now determined that the well is leaking as much as 2.52 million gallons a day. The oil continues to threaten not only Gulf shores but North Carolina shores and our way of life as well. The clean-up and recovery will take the commitment of generations and billions of dollars."
"As more internal BP documents have become public, it is now crystal clear that BP made risky decisions leading to the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon and the spilling of tens of millions of gallons of crude oil over the lives and livelihood of Gulf Coast citizens."
"The bottom line is that BP engineers chose a faster, less safe design to save money, and Congress let them get away with it. The cheaper design saved BP $7 million to $10 million. As a result, we now have 11 lost lives and 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf each day all because a corporation cared more about profits than people and because politicians in Washington didn't have the courage to stand up for the people."
"The U.S. has some of the most relaxed regulations in the world on deep-water off-shore drilling. The AP reports that Canada requires energy companies to have plans for relief wells in place before drilling is approved. This is not the case in the U.S. The five largest oil companies raked in $289 billion in profits over the past three years but spent just $60 million on safety research and development, accident prevention and oil spill response planning over the same period."
"Currently, oil companies are only responsible for $75 million in damages resulting from a spill. Congress must eliminate that cap immediately."
"Campaign finance reports show that the top 16 recipients of oil and gas industry money are Republicans. Incumbent Virginia Foxx has accepted more than $52,000 in contributions from the oil and gas lobby since she went to Washington. She and her Republican cohorts have received $11.6 million since 1990."
"BP must pay any and all damages. This disaster has taken away the ability of thousands of Gulf Coast citizens to make a living, and we must get BP out of the claims process. We must make sure that fishermen, hotel owners, restaurateurs and others have a fast, efficient, and transparent claims process to regain their livelihoods.
"But even in the wake of this national disaster, there is hope and possibility. The American people have stood strong in the face of serious challenges before, and we can do it again."
"It has now become a matter of national security that we explore our options for cleaner energy that will not only protect our environment but that will bring much needed, good-paying jobs to our communities as well."
"If we commit ourselves to a goal of energy independence, we will ensure a better life for our children and for their children as well. We owe them, and ourselves, nothing less. We have an opportunity at hand. We have the technology to use clean and renewable energies. We just have to find in ourselves the commitment to make it happen. I have faith we can if we elect leaders in Congress who will stand up to lobbyists and corporations."
"The bottom line is that BP engineers chose a faster, less safe design to save money, and Congress let them get away with it. The cheaper design saved BP $7 million to $10 million. As a result, we now have 11 lost lives and 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil spilling into the Gulf each day all because a corporation cared more about profits than people and because politicians in Washington didn't have the courage to stand up for the people."
"The U.S. has some of the most relaxed regulations in the world on deep-water off-shore drilling. The AP reports that Canada requires energy companies to have plans for relief wells in place before drilling is approved. This is not the case in the U.S. The five largest oil companies raked in $289 billion in profits over the past three years but spent just $60 million on safety research and development, accident prevention and oil spill response planning over the same period."
"Currently, oil companies are only responsible for $75 million in damages resulting from a spill. Congress must eliminate that cap immediately."
"Campaign finance reports show that the top 16 recipients of oil and gas industry money are Republicans. Incumbent Virginia Foxx has accepted more than $52,000 in contributions from the oil and gas lobby since she went to Washington. She and her Republican cohorts have received $11.6 million since 1990."
"BP must pay any and all damages. This disaster has taken away the ability of thousands of Gulf Coast citizens to make a living, and we must get BP out of the claims process. We must make sure that fishermen, hotel owners, restaurateurs and others have a fast, efficient, and transparent claims process to regain their livelihoods.
"But even in the wake of this national disaster, there is hope and possibility. The American people have stood strong in the face of serious challenges before, and we can do it again."
"It has now become a matter of national security that we explore our options for cleaner energy that will not only protect our environment but that will bring much needed, good-paying jobs to our communities as well."
"If we commit ourselves to a goal of energy independence, we will ensure a better life for our children and for their children as well. We owe them, and ourselves, nothing less. We have an opportunity at hand. We have the technology to use clean and renewable energies. We just have to find in ourselves the commitment to make it happen. I have faith we can if we elect leaders in Congress who will stand up to lobbyists and corporations."
