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The oil spill, caused by an explosion on a BP offshore drilling rig
on April 20, has become a massive problem as efforts to contain it
have largely failed. It is estimated that it could take until
December to completely contain the spill. The ruptured pipe could be
leaking as much as 3.8 million liters of oil a day. Officials say
there is no way to know what the extent of the damage will be. But
Illinois' congressmen said they are focused on containing the damage
and making sure this never happens again.
U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, D-Illinois, co-authored a letter to Obama
with U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, requesting an analysis of the
potential impact of the spill on the Mississippi River.
While there is not yet any evidence of damage in the Midwest from
the oil spill, Hare said that if the oil somehow reaches the
Mississippi, he wants to make sure the government is out in front of
it.
"A disaster of this magnitude can have a nationwide impact," Hare
said in a statement. "While Mississippi River passages are clear
right now, there is no telling how long this spill will continue. It
is imperative to farmers in my district that the Southwest Passage
and other Mississippi River shipping lanes are kept clear. The
purpose of our letter was to put this on President Obama and Admiral
Allen's radar screen and request that they closely monitor it going
forward."
U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Illinois, participated in an Energy and
Commerce Committee meeting on Tuesday, which questioned executives
from BP about the spill.
During the meeting, Shimkus said he is focused on creating ways
to contain future oil spills before they create as much damage as
the current spill.
"The industry (needs to) start talking about a consortium of an
emergency response team that we can mobilize," Shimkus said. "Even
in the emergency response plans, we are projecting billions of
barrels (leaked). This is something -- we have been overwhelmed."
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Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois treasurer and Democratic candidate
for Obama's former Senate seat now held by Roland Burris, is asking
for a temporary halt to new drilling permits as a key part of his
economic agenda.
"I'm also calling for a six-month moratorium on all new offshore
drilling permits," Giannoulias said during a conference call with
the media. "During that time, the federal government must establish
new permit protection zones for the most fragile sections of our
coasts and enable states to veto new offshore drilling permits in
their waters."
But Shimkus said cutting back on drilling is not the answer.
"And I think what we're learning is that there is lost livelihood
on the coast because of the environmental disaster," Shimkus said.
"We need to be careful not to compound that loss of jobs and economy
by shutting down operations right now."
BP and the government are expected to spend billions of dollars
to help restore the Gulf Coast's ecosystem.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By JENNIFER WESSNER] |
