11/14/2007 GAAS:902:07 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version | Email / Share
Statement by Governor Schwarzenegger Read at Briefing by Senator Boxer on San Francisco Bay Oil Spill
Governor Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement to be read at a briefing hosted by Senator Barbara Boxer in the Senate Commerce Committee to examine last week’s oil spill in the San Francisco Bay:
“I regret that my schedule does not allow me to join you today in Washington, D.C., but I applaud Senator Boxer for holding this briefing on last week’s oil spill.
“Like all Californians, I share the senator’s commitment to finding out exactly what caused the Cosco Busan to strike the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge last week and what we can do to avoid such calamities in the future.
“I have been out to inspect the spill area on two occasions and it is obvious there was some very serious human failure. We also know that local officials were not immediately notified of the full extent of the spill and that clean-up operations might have been delayed as a result.
“I will do everything in my power to make sure we ask – and get answers to – all the hard questions we need answered to adequately protect public health, marine life and our environment.
“The success of any disaster response always starts with clear and coordinated communication between various levels of government and the public. So first and foremost, we must learn why local and state officials were not notified immediately of the spill’s severity.
“I have great admiration for the Coast Guard and appreciate how its role has been expanded with regard to homeland security. But California and the nation need to be sure it also has the resources it needs for its marine safety and environmental response duties.
“We have heard how the ship’s navigational equipment may not have been working properly, and we need to determine exactly who is responsible for making sure such large ocean-going ships have navigational equipment that functions in all weather conditions. And I agree with the Coast Guard’s move to consider restricting the movement of large ships in heavy fog as an extra precaution.
“The federal government currently requires all oil tankers entering U.S. waters to be double-hulled by 2015. In light of this accident, perhaps we should also encourage the shipbuilders to consider ways to improve the design of the ever-larger cargo vessels entering service to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
“The state’s Office of Spill and Prevention Response is doing everything it can to address the spill and its damage, but we must also determine whether the state has an adequate and appropriate response to oil spills through OSPR.
“Lastly, California has some of the most public-spirited citizens anywhere, and we must do everything we can to utilize that spirit by making sure our volunteers are adequately trained and prepared to assist after such accidents occur.
“I look forward to working with all of you to get answers to these and other vital questions. Only then can we do the kind of job the public expects in protecting our seaways, our environment, marine life and the public’s health and safety.”
