News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio issued the
following statement regarding the release of the final report from the
National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore
Drilling:

“I recently met with Sen. Bob Graham and we discussed his work as
chairman of the oil spill commission, among other matters. I thank him
and the other commission members for their service in researching last
year’s tragic oil spill to determine what steps can be taken to prevent a
similar tragedy from ever happening again.

“My guiding principle on this issue has always been to strike the right
balance between sensible safety measures that will prevent a similar oil
spill from ever happening again, versus unreasonable regulations that
ultimately ensure we continue to be unnecessarily and dangerously
dependent on foreign oil. I’ve always said that, so long as it can be
done safely, I support offshore energy exploration as a way to meet our
energy needs, create jobs and reduce our dependency on foreign oil from
unstable countries.

“In the coming days and weeks, I will begin consulting stakeholders
about the impact these recommendations would have. I encourage
Floridians who would be significantly impacted by such measures to
contact my office to share their opinions about how such policies would,
for better or worse, impact their businesses and livelihoods.

“While this report is an important starting point for a serious public
policy discussion, we can’t forget the damaging impact the oil spill had
on Florida’s Gulf Coast economy. I look forward to continuing my
conversation with local officials, residents and employers about the
unique economic challenges they continue to face and how the federal
government can assist them.”