starttime 1237931147.92581
SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY.
A SENATOR: MADAM PRESIDENT I
ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THA
FURTHER CALLING OF THE ROLL BE
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
A SENATOR: MADAM PRESIDENT, THIS
IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT DAY IN
ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY IN OUR
WORLD, PARTICULARLY IN OUR COUNTRY.
MR. LAUTENBERG: AND WHILE
DEBATE GOES ON ABOUT WHAT
CORPORATE AMERICA HAS DONE AND
WHAT THEY HAVEN'T DONE AND HOW
WE SHOULD TREAT THEM IN TRYING
TO GET OUR ECONOMY BACK ON TRACK
AND WE'VE HEARD QUESTIONS RAISED
ABOUT CORPORATE BEHAVIOR.
I CAME OUT OF THE CORPORATE
WORLD WHEN I CAME TO THE SENATE
AND IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THINGS
WERE DIFFERENT YEARS AGO.
BUT OVER
HEARD MANY IN THESE CHAMBERS
HERE AND IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CALL ON
COMPANIES TO BE BETTER CORPORATE
CITIZENS.
AND TODAY I RISE TO POINT OUT
WHAT MAY BE THE GREATEST
ABANDONMENT OF CORPORATE
CITIZENSHIP IN OUR NATION'S
HISTORY AND THAT WAS DISPLAYED
BY THE EXXON CORPORATION, ONE OF
THE MOST PROFITABLE COMPANIES IN
AMERICAN HISTORY, BUT 20 YEARS
AGO THIS DAY O
RAN AGROUND IN ALASKA AND STILL
EXXON REFUSES TO LIVE UP TO THE
OBGATIONS THAT IT OBTAINED
WHEN THAT SHIP RAN
IT DAMAGED THE ENVIRONMENT SUBSTANTIALLY.
20 YEARS AGO TODAY THE EXXON
VALDEZ CRASHED INTO THE BLYE
REEF IN ALASKA'S PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND.
THAT SHIP SPILLED
11 MILLION GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL
DAMAGING 1,300 MILES OF
SHORELINE AND RUINING THE LIVES
OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS.
NOW, AS CHAIRMAN OF THE
SUBCOMMITTEE WITH APPROPRIATIONS
JURISDICTION OVER THE COAST
GUARD, I WAS TAKEN BY TWO -- TO
ALASKA BY THE COAST GUARD AND
ARRIVED THERE THREE DAYS AFTER
THE EXXON VALDEZ RAN AGROUND.
TO SEE THE DAMAGES WAS HORRIFYING.
AND -- BUT ALSO DURING THOSE
DAYS THERE, DURING THAT FIRST
DA
WORKED FOR
DISCUSSION WE OFTEN HAVE ABOUT
GOVERNMENT SERVANTS AND THEIR
OBLIGATIONS, THERE, I WOULD SAY,
HAVING COME FROM THE CORPORATE
WORLD, THERE ARE FEW MORE
MINDFUL OF THEIR OBLIGATIONS
THAN THOSE WHO WORK FOR
GOVERNMENT.
AND THAT DAY -- THAT DAY I SAW
FROM A HELICOPTER THAT I
FLYING IN SO MANY OF OUR PEOPLE
COMMITTED TO THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES DEALING WITH
THE PROBLEM, BRAVE PEOPLE
TRAVELING TO TINY ISLANDS BY
HELICOPTER AND SMALL BOATS AND
THEIR MISSION WAS TO SAVE THE
WILDLIFE.
AND I SAW MANY OF THEM UP FAIRLY
CLOSE TAKING BIRDS AND MAMMALS
AND YOUNG MAMMALS PARTICULARLY
AND FISH INTO THEIR HANDS AND
WIPING THE
SAVE THE
ONE BY ONE WHEREVER THEY COULD
THEY
LIFE.
IT WAS DEVASTATING TO SEE.
IT WAS OBVIOUS AS ONE LOOKED AT
THE WATERS OF PRINCIPLE SOUND,
BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL PLACE
SURROUNDED BY
ALMOST SEDUCTIVE COLOR THAT CAME
FROM THE OIL WAS AT THE SE
TIME DEALING OUT POISONS.
AND PORTIONS OF MAN -- MANY
PORTIONS OF PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
TODAY REMAIN CONTAMINATED.
THE CANARY WORKERS, FISHERMEN,
FAMILIES WHOSE LIVES DEPENDED ON
THE
STILL PAYING A PRICE AND THE
LOCAL ECONOMY IS STILL REELING.
THINK ABOUT IT.
SO MUCH TIME HAS PASSED SINCE
THIS BILL THAT AS
PEOPLE INJURED BY THAT DISASTER
HAVE ALREADY PASSED AWAY.
THESE PEOPLE
FULLY COMPENSATED FOR THEIR LOSS.
EXXON WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS
MENACE, BUT THE
-- BALKED AT EVERY STEP TO SHIRK
THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES.
EVER SINCE THE DISASTER EXXON
HAS DEFAULTED ON ITS OBLIGATIONS
AND A CORRATE CITIZEN AND
REFUSED TO REPAIR ALL
COMM
THAT
INSTEAD DURING ALL OF THIS
PERIOD EXXON HAS FOUGHT TOOTH
AND NAIL TO DEPRIVE THE VICTIMS
OF PROPER COMPENSATION.
SPENDING AS MUCH AS $400 MILLION
TO ATTAIN LAWYERS AND KEEP
THINGS BOTTLED UP IN COURT.
EXXON TOOK ITS FIGHT ALL THE WAY
TO SUPREME COURT AND LAST YEAR
19 YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDY, THE
JUSTICES CONFIRMED THAT EXXON
OWES PUNITIVE DAMAGES TO THE
VICTIMS ALTHOUGH THEY AND THEIR
SKILLFUL HORDES OF LAWYERS
SUCCEEDED IN REDUCING THE AMO
OF COMPENSATION.
STILL, EVEN TODAY, 20 YEARS
LATER, THE COMPANY CONTINUES TO
STONEWALL THE VICTIMS BY TRYING
TOVOID PAYING THE
THAT FELL ON THESE CHARGES.
EXXON'S ACTIONS ARE THE
OF CORPORATE IRRESPONSIBILITY.
AND AS A FORMER C.E.O. OF A
MAJOR CORPORATION, I UNDERSTAND
THE DRIVE TO SUCCEED, BUT
THERE'S NOTHING MORE
REPREHENSIBLE THAN
EVADING ITS OBLIGATIONS TO OUR
COUNTRY'S PEOPLE JUST TO MAKE A
QUICK BUCK.
TO AVOID LEGITIMATE
RESPONSIBILITY AS GIANT FACTOR
IN OUR ECONOMY AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING.
THEY HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY.
EXXON HAD RECORD PROFITS LAST
YEAR OF $45 BILLION.
AND EVEN LAST QUARTER WHEN
COMPANIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
WERE SUFFERING, THIS COMPANY,
EXXON, POSTED A PROFIT OF NEARLY
NEARLY $8 BILLION IN A SINGLE QUARTER, $8 BILLION.
NOW IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DROP IN
THE BUCKET FOR THIS CORPORATION
TO FULLY COMPENSATE THE
WHO WERE SO SEVERELY HURT.
BUT ALL THE MONEY, ENERGY, AND
TIME THAT EXXON HAS WASTED
SHOULD HAVE BEEN SPENT MAKE
LOCAL COMMUNITIES WHOLE AGAIN
AND HELPING
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC
DAMAGE DON TO ALASKA'S PRINCE
WILLIAM SOUND.
THE TRUTH IS EXXON NEEDS TO
CHANGE ITS WAYS
20th ANNIVERRY
VALDEZ DISASSE DISASTER IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY.
MADAM PRESIDENT, ON THIS
ANNIVERSARY WE'RE ALSO REMINDED
HOW DANGEROUS TRANSPORTING OIL
CAN BE, AND THAT'S WHY I'VE
INTRODUCED A BILL THIS DAY THAT
WILL ACCELERATE THE USE OF
DOUBLE HULLED VESSELS BY SHIPPERS.
OIL SPILLS ARE ABSOLUTELY
CATASTROPHIC TO THE ENVONMENT,
SEASIDE COMMUNITIES, AND
INFLUENCE WIDE GEOGRAPHIC AREAS
BEYOND THOSE.
AFTER EXAMINING THE CAUSES OF
PAST SPILLS, WE'VE WRITTEN A
BILL TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE
POSSIBILITIES OF FUTURE SPILLS.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THIS
BILL PASSED BY THI CHAMBER AND
TO WORKING WITH COLLEAGUES TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE DISASTERS
LIKE THE SOMEONE THAT WE SAW 20
HAPPEN AGAIN.
WITH THAT, I YIELD THE FLOOR,
AND NOTE THE ABSENCE OF A QUORUM.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE CLERK
WILL CALL