Will Ensure BP and Other Companies Can’t Stonewall Investigation

WASHINGTON– Today, the House of Representatives passed Rep. Lois Capps’ legislation to grant subpoena power to the Commission investigating the BP oil spill (H.R. 5481). The Commission, which was established by Executive Order and based on legislation Capps introduced in early May (H.R. 5241), will investigate the causes of BP’s devastating oil spill in the Gulf and report back to the President with recommendations for how to prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spills that result from offshore drilling. The President has committed the full cooperation of the federal government to the Commission and its mandate. But he does not have the authority to give the Commission subpoena power through an Executive Order so Congressional Action is necessary to give the Commission this essential investigatory tool. The bill passed by a vote of 420-1, with two members voting “present."

“This critical legislation will ensure that the National Commission has the powers it needs to get the answers the American people deserve on this disaster,” said Markey. “We need to ensure that neither BP, Haliburton, Transocean, nor any other party could prevent the commission from getting to the bottom of what went wrong at the bottom of the ocean.”

“Subpoena power is absolutely essential to ensuring that BP and others involved with this spill can not stonewall the Commission. With the Commission expected to begin its investigation in the coming weeks, it must have subpoena power to ensure access to all the evidence it needs from BP and other private entities to undertake a complete inquiry on the causes of the spill and make meaningful recommendations on how to prevent similar disasters. The people of the Gulf of Mexico and the nation deserve an accurate and timely explanation of all the circumstances and decisions that resulted in this disaster, and of the impacts that will continue to be felt for decades to come.  I hope the Senate will pass this legislation granting the Commission this critically important tool.  Only from a comprehensive independent review—with subpoena power—can the necessary lessons be learned, practices changed, and future disasters averted,” Capps said.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate (S. 3462), but attempts to bring the bill to the floor under unanimous consent have been repeatedly blocked by Senate Republicans.