Post by Rick Warder on Dec 31, 2005 17:39:12 GMT -5
LOS ANGELES, CA - After a disastrous oil spill approximately 60 miles away from Long Beach, President Rick Warder ordered a massive effort to prevent the slick from approaching the California coastline, from burning the oil on the surface of the ocean to deploying biodegrading microbes and chemicals. At the moment, the oil spill has been contained, and Coast Guard cutters are deploying booms to the area to direct the flow of water so that the oil remains in a small area. A U.S. Navy submarine is currently engaged in repair efforts to the tanker's hull, the Liberian-flagged MS Alimente.
President Warder spoke at the Los Angeles Convention Center on environmental policy, drawing thousands of interested citizens, activists and even businessmen: "Current U.S. law mandates that double hulled tankers are not mandatory until 2015. That's not good enough. We need double hulled tankers now, as this horrific spill has demonstrated."
In his talk, President Warder explained that laws must be passed as soon as possible to prohibit all single hulled tankers from coming within 250 miles of the U.S. coastline. But even this, he said, only goes half as far as needed. "Even if a tanker is further than 250 miles away from the coast, if it runs into difficulties, sinks or spills, we're going to be the ones dealing with the results. That's why I will be drawing up legislation to present to Congress which radically tightens safety and environmental standards on all oil tankers, regardless of whether they are American or Liberian registered. If an oil company wants to do business in America, they're going to have to do it safely, with a margin of error as minimal as sound and prudent economics will permit. These single-hull tankers are unsafe at any speed," President Warder concluded.
The gathering was attended most prominently by the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, which applauded the president's reaction to the spill. "Admittedly, bombing the ocean is a bit overboard, but the president has succeeded in containing the spill in a rapid and efficient manner," said a Greenpeace spokesman who requested to remain anonymous.
President Warder spoke at the Los Angeles Convention Center on environmental policy, drawing thousands of interested citizens, activists and even businessmen: "Current U.S. law mandates that double hulled tankers are not mandatory until 2015. That's not good enough. We need double hulled tankers now, as this horrific spill has demonstrated."
In his talk, President Warder explained that laws must be passed as soon as possible to prohibit all single hulled tankers from coming within 250 miles of the U.S. coastline. But even this, he said, only goes half as far as needed. "Even if a tanker is further than 250 miles away from the coast, if it runs into difficulties, sinks or spills, we're going to be the ones dealing with the results. That's why I will be drawing up legislation to present to Congress which radically tightens safety and environmental standards on all oil tankers, regardless of whether they are American or Liberian registered. If an oil company wants to do business in America, they're going to have to do it safely, with a margin of error as minimal as sound and prudent economics will permit. These single-hull tankers are unsafe at any speed," President Warder concluded.
The gathering was attended most prominently by the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, which applauded the president's reaction to the spill. "Admittedly, bombing the ocean is a bit overboard, but the president has succeeded in containing the spill in a rapid and efficient manner," said a Greenpeace spokesman who requested to remain anonymous.