Pelosi: 'For Our Community the San Francisco Bay is a Value System as Well as an Ecosystem'

Contact:Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. -- This morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi participated in a Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation hearing on the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General investigation into the Cosco Busan oil spill. Speaking on the importance of the Bay, Pelosi said: "For our community the San Francisco Bay is a value system as well as an ecosystem." Pelosi submitted the following statement in the record:

"Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member LaTourette, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for convening today's hearing on this issue of particular importance to my district in San Francisco, and for allowing me to join you for the proceedings. Inspector General Skinner, thank you for conducting the investigation of the Coast Guard's response to the Cosco Busan spill. Your report provides a tremendous amount of insight into the unfortunate events of that day, and offers a number of useful recommendations for the future. Thank you also for the speed with which you and your team conducted this investigation. Thank you also Admiral Salerno to the Coast Guard for providing your full cooperation in this investigation, and for the Coast Guard's service to our nation.

"San Francisco Bay is more than just a body of water to San Franciscans. In terms of both commerce and recreation, it provides the heartbeat of the region. We bring our kids and grandkids there to play and learn about the environment. We surf and sail. And we appreciate the precious ecosystem that exists on the beaches, in the estuaries, under the water and in the nearby National Marine Sanctuary - the Gulf of the Farallones. So protection of the Bay - its safety and its health - is not just a priority, it is an ethic for Bay Area residents.

"Chairman Cummings and I requested this investigation to review the Coast Guard's response to the oil spill, to determine whether available resources were utilized appropriately, and to ensure that emergency response plans for the Bay are sufficient for this and other potential disasters.

"The Inspector General (IG) report identifies several areas for improvement, including improved standard operating procedures to guide the response of Coast Guard personnel, sufficient training for on-site investigators, and amending the Area Contingency Plan to include an expedited process for managing, training and credentialing large numbers of volunteers.

"Several of the report's recommendations focus on the need to develop standard procedures to ensure that systems are functioning properly and that appropriate steps are taken when incidents occur. The failure of the San Francisco Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) to synchronize audio, video and tracking data made it more difficult for investigators to recreate the chain of events. Although the Voyage Data Recorder was eventually recovered, the failure of Coast Guard investigators to secure it and other critical communications and navigations systems also threatened to impair the investigation. In addition, investigators failed to ensure these systems were fully operational at the time of the incident, making it more difficult to determine whether system malfunctions were a contributing factor. Finally, the failure to conduct drug and alcohol tests on the VTS watchstanders made it impossible to rule out the possibility that impairment of Coast Guard personnel contributed to the allision. Although the report makes it clear that additional actions by the VTS could not have prevented this disaster, these shortcomings impacted the response. As a result, the IG's call for National Standard Operating Procedures and the use of 'Quick Response Checklists' to ensure these mistakes do not occur in the future is appropriate.

"Many of these issues directly relate to the inexperience of the Coast Guard investigators who were initially sent to the scene. The report's finding that all three of the marine casualty investigators assigned by the Coast Guard to the scene immediately following the incident were not qualified to conduct this type of investigation is disconcerting. Given that five of the six marine casualty investigators assigned to Sector San Francisco were unqualified in this area, this outcome was nearly inevitable. In addition to the failures to collect evidence, check systems and conduct required tests by marine casualty investigators at the scene, the on-site pollution investigators grossly underestimated the magnitude of the spill and the VTS watchstanders failed to notify the National Response Center and the State Office of Emergency Services as required by the Area Contingency Plan, instead leaving that essential task to the Responsible Party. An increased emphasis on training and, where required, certification of Coast Guard personnel must be prioritized going forward.

"Finally, I have heard significant concerns from my constituents and other Bay Area residents, environmental organizations, fisherman and local officials about the Unified Command's inadequate use of the literally thousands of volunteers who offered assistance in the immediate aftermath of the spill. While the existing Area Contingency Plan includes details regarding required training for volunteers handling hazardous materials, it does not include a process for expediting the training and credentialing of those volunteers. The Cities of San Francisco and Berkeley stepped in to fill this void several days after the spill, but the IG correctly recommends that procedures to quickly implement volunteer training and credentialing after an incident be incorporated into the Area Contingency Plan.

"The report also provides useful input regarding the need for expanded and clarified criteria for the San Francisco VTS to guide limitations on vessel movement during periods of restricted visibility, the need for medical review of all federal pilot applicants and license renewals, and the importance of regular drills that include a focus on fish, wildlife and shoreline protection. Community input also focused on issues that are not prominently addressed in this report, including the failure to communicate information regarding the magnitude of the spill to the public in a timely manner on the day of the incident, the need to better prioritize sensitive environmental protection areas to target resources effectively during the first 24 to 48 hours of response, and the urgent need for increased federal resources related to environmental response, assessment and restoration when hazardous materials are released.

"Another key issue is already being addressed legislatively. The pending Coast Guard reauthorization (H.R. 2830) includes language requiring double-hulls to protect their bunker fuel tanks on U.S.-flagged ships that enter into service in 2010 or later. This is the same deadline as has been established by the International Maritime Organization for double-hulling ships' fuel tanks. The IMO requirements, however, do not apply to U.S.-flagged vessels in domestic trade.

"In the Incident Specific Preparedness review released in January, the Coast Guard raised many of the same points highlighted by the IG and in the community. Our challenge going forward is to use this information to prevent future disasters and to respond more effectively when emergencies do occur. I met with Admiral Allen on Tuesday and am pleased to report that the Coast Guard concurs with all nine of the Inspector General's recommendations. Given San Francisco Bay's biodiversity and fundamental role in the region's commerce and recreation, it is essential that these recommendations be swiftly implemented."