WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today stressed their willingness to assist in efforts to mitigate the damage to the Mississippi Gulf Coast from the offshore drilling platform explosion that claimed 11 lives and now has the potential to be a monumental environmental and economic problem for the coastal region.

Cochran, Wicker and their respective staffs are being briefed on and continuing to monitor efforts to contain the ongoing oil spill and to mitigate environmental damage resulting from the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20.

U.S. Senator Thad Cochran

“This tragic accident poses serious ecologic and economic problems for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.  I commend the state of Mississippi and the multi-agency federal effort to contain the problem, as well as those individuals who are volunteering to assist in meeting this challenge head on.

“As it now stands, I am concerned that this situation could take a long time to overcome.  I will continue to evaluate this situation in order to make sure the federal government is doing all it can to end this disaster and remain available to assist with environmental and economic recovery needs.  Ultimately, industry must bear the responsibility and cost for this disaster.”
 
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker

“This is a very serious situation that I fear will have long-term environmental and economic effects. The first priority is to contain the spill and mitigate the damage to the Gulf Coast.  My office has been working with the agencies currently responding to this disaster as well as Governor Barbour’s office.  We will continue to work to make sure the federal government is poised to assist in every way necessary to meet this challenge and remove as many unnecessary bureaucratic road blocks as possible.”

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