Congressman Tonko today voted to support legislation that will lead to new and improved technologies for cleaning up future oil spills. The Oil Pollution Research and Development Program Reauthorization is a direct response to what has been learned following the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This bill will prepare the U.S. for future oil spill responses by strengthening the research, development, and demonstration of innovative methods, tools and technologies.

“Our response to the BP oil spill was driven by the same technologies that were in place 20 years ago during the Exxon Valdez spill,” said Congressman Tonko. “This legislation will make sure we are ready by developing and testing new and innovative technologies that will ensure a much better response to the next spill.”

This legislation amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to strengthen federally funded research, development and demonstration of new methods and technologies for cleaning up oil spills. It also requires the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research (ICC) to develop plans for research and implementation that will be submitted to Congress and updated periodically. The bill also makes the ICC more effective by designating four key agencies (U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA, Department of Interior, and EPA) as the committee – instead of the current 14 members.

The bill includes two amendments written by Congressman Tonko. The first, the Tonko-Baird Amendment, requires the program to solicit, approve, fund, and utilize technologies and research projects developed by the public and private sector so that they are ready to be implemented in future spills. The second amendment, the Tonko Small Business Amendment, would ensure that technologies developed by small businesses outside the program will be evaluated and considered.

The ideas for both amendments came from local companies, which brought their issues to Congressman Tonko after trying to help with the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf.

“We can’t wait for the next disaster to start soliciting ideas on how to contain and clean up an oil spill,” added Congressman Tonko. “We need to have these ideas and technologies evaluated, tested and approved so they can be deployed quickly to limit damage to the environment and the economy.”

The bill includes an authorization of $48 million funded by oil industry royalties. It increases funding for the R&D program for oil spill cleanup from $22 million to $30 million, adds $16 million in funding for NOAA, and $2 million for demonstration projects.

# # #