8/9/2019 Preventing Another Oil Disaster

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My name is Reshma Saujani and I am running for Congress in the 14 th District of New York. The oilatastrophe in the Gulf affects all of us and will have a devastating impact on the environment and theconomy inherited by children in New York. Congress must first ensure that this never happens again -- byctually regulating the oil industry. Next, we need to make sure that taxpayers are not signed up for a big

il bailout and that BP assumes full responsibility for the cost of the clean up and economic devastation ofhe spill. Finally, we need to fundamentally change a broken system in Washington where representativesccept barrels of backroom special interest money and then point the finger when barrels of oil spill in the

Gulf. One of the reasons I ’m running for office is because I believe we need to clean up the dirty money inWashington that allows special interests to write legislation and causes lax oversight of industries like oil andas. I have four proposals to address these key issues.

Currently, the Minerals Management Service, under the Department of the Interior, manages the processy which oil companies apply for drilling permits. According to BP ’s 2008 application for its Gulf Coastrilling, it had an “oil -spill response plan in place.” Allowing such a blatant inaccuracy to persist was aailure of government oversight. I propose creating an Oil and Gas Oversight Council, similar to the oneroposed in recent financial regulatory reform, chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and joined byepresentatives from the Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Homeland Security. In addition,

Congress should vote annually on approval for the portfolio of drilling and exploration projects to ensurerotection against excessive environmental risk and appropriate spill readiness.

The inability of BP, state officials, and the federal government to cap the well oil spewing more than 10,000arrels of oil into the Gulf daily is completely unacceptable. I propose that a non-negotiable aspect of theermit process be a mandatory live laboratory simulation of the technology and process used to clean aotential pipe rupture or spill that is subject to review by my newly proposed Oil and Gas Oversight Councilnd to congressional approval. If there is not demonstrated technology to immediately stop and clean aotential spill, a permit should not be given, period.

f you follow the money trail in Washington, it is clear how oil money in the wallets of Congress can lead tonvironmental catastrophes. BP ’s special interest PACs have contributed nearly $3 million to candidates inhe past two decades and the company spent another $16 million in lobbying last year alone. In addition,

members of Congress have personally invested in BP and other oil companies, creating an inherit conflictf interest to regulation. To end the dirty money spill in Washington, I propose that all members of Congresse required to put their personal investments in blind trusts and that we ban corporate PAC contributions.

The oil spill in the Gulf brings renewed urgency to ensure we are moving towards a clean-energy future thats critical for our environmental sustainability, our economic prosperity, and our national security. BP shoulde required to invest a dollar towards clean-energy technology for each dollar they spend to clean up theil spill in the Gulf. In addition, I have proposed and written legislation to create a National Innovation Fundhat creates a public-private partnership to fund entrepreneurs in emerging fields like clean-technology. Ilso support creating a national renewable energy portfolio standard of 25% by 2025 and increasing fuelconomy standards. I will be an active leader for clean-technologies solutions in Congress.

PREVENTING ANOTHER OIL DISASTER

Ensuring oil spill disaster preparedness

nvesting in a clean-energy future

Cleaning up the dirty money in Washington

Reforming the drilling permit process

Paid for by Reshma for Congresswww.reshma2010.com

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