Shuster seeks faster oil spill responses
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Natural Resources Committee, has introduced legislation to strengthen the federal government’s ability to quickly respond in the event of future oil spills. “The American people are rightly angry at their government’s inability to react to the devastation of the Gulf oil spill,” said Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg. “The fact that the federal government did not have the equipment on hand to immediately combat the spill is inexcusable, as is the lack of a system in place before the spill to solicit clean-up proposals from experts and fast-track the deployment of cutting-edge technologies to the Gulf.
“The federal government should have access to the latest oil fighting technology at all times,” he continued. “The prospect of another massive environmental disaster like the Gulf oil spill requires preparation on behalf of the government and my legislation will help accomplish this.”
Shuster’s “Oil Spill Cleanup Technologies Act of 2010” would require the president, acting through the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to quickly solicit and deploy oil and hazardous substance cleanup technologies in preparation of a massive oil spill in United States territorial waters.
In addition, Shuster’s legislation would require the federal government to coordinate with universities, small businesses and others to ensure the best oil spill-fighting technologies are available to be implemented quickly and efficiently to react to a spill.
Finally, the legislation would require the maintenance of a database so that the government knows what cleanup technologies are available and can deploy them quickly in the case of another spill.
“America is a world leader when it comes to technology and innovation,” Shuster added. “There is no reason we shouldn’t have a concrete plan in place to put those resources to use in the immediate aftermath of a spill like the one off the Gulf Coast.”