Response Efforts to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill
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S. HRG. 111–1013 RESPONSE EFFORTS TO THE GULF COAST OIL SPILL HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION MAY 18, 2010 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 67–269 PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:37 Jul 12, 2011 Jkt 067269 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\67269.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Chairman DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas, Ranking JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada BARBARA BOXER, California JIM DEMINT, South Carolina BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey GEORGE S. LEMIEUX, Florida MARK PRYOR, Arkansas JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri DAVID VITTER, Louisiana AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas TOM UDALL, New Mexico MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska MARK WARNER, Virginia MARK BEGICH, Alaska ELLEN L. DONESKI, Staff Director JAMES REID, Deputy Staff Director BRUCE H. ANDREWS, General Counsel ANN BEGEMAN, Republican Staff Director BRIAN M. HENDRICKS, Republican General Counsel NICK ROSSI, Republican Chief Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:37 Jul 12, 2011 Jkt 067269 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\67269.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on May 18, 2010 ............................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Rockefeller ........................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Hutchison ............................................................................ 3 Statement of Senator Snowe ................................................................................... 4 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 6 Statement of Senator Nelson .................................................................................. 7 Statement of Senator Wicker .................................................................................. 8 Statement of Senator Cantwell .............................................................................. 9 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 10 Statement of Senator LeMieux ............................................................................... 11 Letter, dated May 25, 2010, to Hon. George S. LeMieux, from Doug Suttles, Chief Operating Officer, Exploration & Production—BP Amer- ica Inc. ............................................................................................................ 83 Statement of Senator Vitter .................................................................................... 12 Statement of Senator Thune ................................................................................... 13 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 14 Statement of Senator Pryor .................................................................................... 14 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 15 Statement of Senator Begich .................................................................................. 15 Statement of Senator Kerry .................................................................................... 17 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 19 Statement of Senator Klobuchar ............................................................................ 53 WITNESSES Hon. Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce ................................................ 20 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 22 Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant, United States Coast Guard and National Incident Commander on the Deepwater Horizon Fire and MC 252 Oil Spill .. 28 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 30 Lamar McKay, Chairman and President, BP America ........................................ 55 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 58 Steven Newman, Chief Executive Officer, Transocean, Ltd. ............................... 62 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 64 Deborah French-McCay, Ph.D., Director of Impact Assessment Services, Ap- plied Science Associates, Inc. .............................................................................. 65 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 68 APPENDIX Hon. Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Senator from Hawaii, prepared statement ............ 105 Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Jane Lubchenco by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 105 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 106 Hon. John F. Kerry .......................................................................................... 107 Hon. Claire McCaskill ...................................................................................... 108 Hon. John Thune .............................................................................................. 109 Hon. David Vitter ............................................................................................. 112 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 113 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:37 Jul 12, 2011 Jkt 067269 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\67269.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE IV Page Response to written questions submitted to Admiral Thad Allen by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 117 Hon. Claire McCaskill ...................................................................................... 119 Hon. John Thune .............................................................................................. 122 Hon. David Vitter ............................................................................................. 125 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 125 Response to written questions submitted to Lamar McKay by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 126 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 128 Hon. Claire McCaskill ...................................................................................... 130 Hon. Mark Warner ........................................................................................... 131 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 133 Response to written questions submitted to Steven Newman by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 137 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 139 Hon. Claire McCaskill ...................................................................................... 141 Hon. Mark Warner ........................................................................................... 142 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 143 Response to written questions submitted to Deborah French-McCay, Ph.D. by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 146 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 148 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 149 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:37 Jul 12, 2011 Jkt 067269 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\67269.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE RESPONSE EFFORTS TO THE GULF COAST OIL SPILL TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:32 p.m. in room SR–253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA The CHAIRMAN. The hearing will come to order. Members will be arriving. I’ll give the opening statement, and then I believe Senator