watching, the oil spills that continued, the exxon valdez in particular. but we've been seeing them up to that point and when i finally -- the exxon valdez happened and i saw that the reaction was the exact same. the oil looked like pudding. the birds had the arms, wings, distorted images that went with the animals. people on the beach in rubber boots and pitch forks, i thought is this the best we can do? i was approached with a small technology out of the department of -- the d.o.e. department of energy. it was a little machine about six inches tall separating very severe stuff but i looked at the machine and with my brother and the scientist that invented it we thought we could scale it up to separate oil and water at high speeds and i thought we could create a first line of defense where oil spills are concerned so i grabbed about 20 scientists and engineers and three years after r&d and close to -- a lot of dollars, scaled

. >> lehrer: what about the record from the exxon valdez spill ? what happened then? >> kpan valdez, we actually had litigation on the tort claim that stretched on for up to 20 years. much of that fighting was over punitive damages which originally were at $5 billion for exxon but were ult maely trimmed down in a u.s. supreme court decision last year to only $500 million. given the fact that we have a spill that impacts multiple states, a wide variety of economic activity and the fact we're dealing with a spill that under new laws that weren't in place when the valdez spill took place we're probably looking at a longer period of litigation and much more complex legal issues. >> lehrer: do you see it the same way, professor hall? >> i don't want to minimize the impact that alaska felt after the exxon valdez spill but what we're seeing in the gulf is a whole magnitude different it's not just the number of states and the miles of coast line but the economics of the gulf region are very closely tied to the quality of the waters in the gulf itself. as those waters become p

from prince william sound that was collected 10 years after the exxon valdez spill. the top off of that vial and open it up, the oil is as potent as it is, for example, at your gas pump. i mean, you can just smell the oil in that jar 10 years later. so i think that it was just a very serious, devastating accident to the region and one that has had long, long-term consequences. you know, many of these things, they're problems of human error off of technology, but the consequences are truly devastating. host: there are news reports this morning that there are several lawsuits being filed against b.p. will your group file a lawsuit?+ guest: there will be, i am sure, thousands of lawsuits against b.p., individuals making claims on losses that they've experienced. there will an lot of lawsuits about whether federal laws have been fully adhered to under the marine mammal protection act, you know, the natural environmental policy act, a host of statutes that are designed to protect wildlife and the natural world. and at nrdc, our organization does litigation, and most likel

in the exxon valdez, destruction of fisheries. lastly, punitive damages. was there where the supreme court reduced them from $5 billion to $500 million. about 10%. the $8 billion figure includes all three of those for exxon. host: moving on to east point, democratic line, caller go ahead. east point, michigan. caller: i agree with everything your guest is saying. b.p. can take their oil and go back to their country. i have never gone to a b.p. gas station and never will. i would rather be proud of clean energy and see windmills on a mountain top. scientists proved you can -- we have an entire desert just sitting there filling up with solar panels. who cares? no one's out there to look at it anyway. host: on the rep can line? caller: yes, i think it's a little absurd to blame cheney for this environmental disaster. i do believe president o'bama just hired the woman fired as middle management head, and i do believe they were going to give b.p. an award for some job of excellence. also in terms of alternative energies. there's a lot of things that most people

and when the exxon valdez happened in alaska, the people in the community said can't we just get rid of exxon? can't we get them out of prince william sound? and that was viewed to be impossible or to be much too large of a task. and all they did was get that -- congress actually passed the law saying that ship couldn't come in any longer. one of the things that i believe is that when we bring control of these issues down to local people, they really should have the ability to decide who comes in and works in their waters, who drills in their waters. nationally, we feel bad about the oil spill, but we're going to move on. we're really not paying a big price other than the emotional price of seing the dead animals. but the people down there, they have all the risk on the line. they should be the ones who really make the decision about what happens in their waters. it's signing the decision with the risk. so we get the oil, they pay the price. i don't think that's right. host: baltimore, maryland. terry on democrats line. caller: good morning. from an economic standpoint, i from an econ

role as the lead attorney -- we have been talking about his role as lead attorney in the case of exxon valdez, the alaskan fishermen and natives who brought the civil suit against exxon, and the 21-year trajectory of that suit. thank you for joining us on c- span this morning. nice to meet you. guest: thank you. host: yesterday a group representing governors and state school chiefs laid out a detailed blueprint about possibly forming in national soul is not english and math standards. -- national syllabus on english and math standards. dennis van roekel of the national education association will join us to talk about these issues. >> new numbers out on the economy. the labor department is reporting that first-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped by 10,000 last week to 453,000. in a separate report, the government says that productivity grew at an annual rate of 2.8% in the january- through-march period. that is slower than previously thought, but also a possible sign that businesses are reaching the limits of their ability to boost output with fewer workers, and might be hiring more.

he was an attorney for fishermen affected by the exxon valdez oil spill in 1989. this is about 40 minutes. screen is a gentleman by the name of brian o'neal. he is someone who has spent 21 years of his professional life as an attorney representing 32,000 alaskan fisherman and natives in their quest for damages and repneumonia ration from the exxon valdez oil spill what lessons can we learn from that experience to apply to what's happening in the gulf today? >> well,he first thing you learn is that if you're going to extract and transport oil, there's going to be catastrophic spills, and that's because people are in crge o the extraction and transportation of oil. the second thing is where the oil goes, nobody knows. in the case of the valdez, everybody thought the oil would go southeast, and it goes northwest. and it went a tremendous distance, a distance of about the legth of theewest coast of the united states. so where the oil goes, you don't know. what it does, you don't know. its impact on different kinds of beaches, its impact on marsh lands and different cr

legal aspects of the oil spill from an attorney involved in the exxon valdez accident in 1989. >> this president is going to be impeached. woodward said we can never use that word around this newsroom lest anyone think we have some kind of an agenda. the awe of that moment stays with me. >> search for water gate with c- span video laubelibrary. c what other key players have said about the break-in and cover-up. explore washington your way. the c-span video library free online. . . it wasn't clear to some members of congress. it just took a hell of a lot longer than it should have. it was obvious that he was the right -- right man at the right time, a time when we very much need this. now, this is going to be far more traumatic i think for n.s.a. then it's going to be for the nation to have a cyber command. this is an agency -- somebody this morning said, used to say, no such agency, n.s.a., be used to stand for and, of course, this is an agency that does so many crucial things for the country but it has to by necessity be in a reserved capacity, in a role in terms of public acknowledgm

if it's been more than 20 years since the exxon valdez ran aground. i was in alaska within three days of the exxon valdez crashed and i saw the destruction caused by the oil spill first hand. when the press coverage was intense, exxon issued a string of apologies. it promised to do the right thing by the community and it vowed to make sure that the way of lead these alaskans new was resumed. but as soon as the cameras were turned off, exxon changed its tune. it fought the communities, the families, and the fisherman of everything. instead of making those victims whole, exxon chose to make it onerous. exxon true things out for years and not down punitive claims from -- and we cannot let history repeat itself. we are reminded that a spill the size of the exxon valdez occurs every day, every four days. we're witnessing the size of a spill that took place like the back -- like the exxon valdez. i've proposed an amendment to make it clear that companies responsible for the oil spill must reimburse the american taxpayer for every dollar the government spend

for bp to deal with sprang this corrected 9500, which was used on the oil with the spill of the exxon valdezaska. developed by exxon, manufactured in illinois. when you talk about this dispersant and why we are so afraid in louisiana right now, ii is because we are not sure of what the after effects of this are. we realize and we believe at this point that bp allowed and used this corrected 9500 dispersants because it would have been a public relations nightmare to be able to have this oil sheen that can stretch for literally miles on the gulf war as a few disbursed this into little droplets under the ocean surface, there is always going to be some conjecture one way or the other on how much oil is out there. again, i have not believed bp from day one. there is another chemical out there that could have been used that would have worked on this week louisiana crude better than the spirted corrected 9500. it is called dispersant. it is a water based material and when you start talking about 9500, it is four times toxic than oil itself. why was dispersant not used? why did we not have the oppor

host: he mentioned the exxon valdez spill, which happened. about 11 million gallons of oil were spilled by the exxon valdez when that happened. now, but bp oil leak or spill -- and the bp oil leak or spill, the coast guard estimates to hundred and 10,000 gallons of oil are coming out of the pipe a day. it is day 46, which means approximately 9.4 million gallons of oil at this point. it is almost duty at this point, estimated if not already bigger than exxon valdez but already estimated as the same size. missouri, mike, independent line. what do you think about drilling in the gulf? caller: no, not the way they are going. it was your program that i've learned there was another valve that they could have put on their well, that a lot of the wells off the coastal have for one reason or another. this was a show yesterday or the day before. host: are you talking about the types of valves that the norwegians and the english use? caller: yes, sir. i have not seen anything on any of the other news channels pertaining to that. the only place i heard a

d when the exxon valdez happened inlaska, the people the community said can't we ju get rid of exxon? can't we get them out o princ william sound? and that w viewed to be impossible or to be much too large of a tk. and a they did was get that -- congress actually passed the law saying that ship couldn't come in any longer. one of the things that i believe ishat control of these issuesown to l people, they really should have the bility to decide who comes in and works in their waters, who drills in their waters. natially, we feel bad about the oil sll, but we're going to move on. 're really not paying a big price other than themotion animals. seing the dead but e people down there, they have all the risk onhe line. they should be the one who really make the decision about at happens in their waters. it's signinghe decision with the risk. so we get theil, they pay the price. i don't think that's right. host: baltimore, maryland. terry on democrats line. caller: good morning. from an economic standpoint, i from an economic standpoint, i an unemoyed for the past two years. as bp soowerful

exxon valdez was a tanker spill. all the oil just went out. but i that i the exxon regained the confidence of people because they have such strong operating standards. they have such a strong balance sheet. everybody in the industry knows that essentially they're a very well run company. >> lehrer: professor, there's also been suggestions that companies like bp have been compared to, say, the tobacco companies. when tobacco became a no-no, they just changed their name. they're no longer the tobacco company. they're something else. is it possible that bp could be ... the name is the problem and one way to solve it is to change the name or change the structure in some way or to sell off assets, that sort of thing? >> well, changing the name is certainly a cynical ploy to be sure. to do with a reputation loss. as you say it's happened. i don't really think that's going to happen here. as we just heard, bp is a gigantic company. operations around the world. they're really big. they have very, very deep pockets. they're going to pay a big price. the

of the environmental protection agency . 20 years later, george herbert walker bush faced the exxon "valdez" crisis in which his response was widely condemned as late and lame and that also led him to pursue regulatory reforms as well. so this is not new by any means. >> michael gerson, you were working for george w. bush when he had to deliver these big kind of oval office speech moments. how did last night compare? how does the entire handling of this compare? >> well, i was a little bit concerned about last night. using the oval office as a setting as a high-rofile setting that spotlights the presidenciy. in the past you had john kennedy announcing a quarantine of cuba. and last night, the president seemed much more passive, much more input-oriented, he announced a czar. he announced a commission. when i was -- you know in the white house, we viewed these things as fairly weak policy inputs. you always want to push back, do something more active, more executive oriented as far as action are concerned. i thought proot had a pretty bad day yesterday, although actually a pretty good day tod

very similar to the exxon valdez.i remember the president of exxon shipping sank three days after the spill, we're on the ground, we will get to work. that night there was a storm that blew the oil through all of prince william sound. if you are serious about this, you have to invest money, build new technology, be ready, and i think you have to have locaa people who have knowledge, who have some oversight and expertise to watch over these activities, creating vigilance. the government and oil industry have proven they cannot. host: our first call is from st. louis. thank you for waiting. go ahead. caller: i like to ask your guest his thouuhts on goldman sachss and pp's c.e.o. selling stock -- and bp's c.e.o. selling stock days before the accident. guest: i had not heard that. i think all of the incompetents and everything is the last thing it would want to have happened. it is hard for me to believe they would be aware it was going to happen, the conspiracy theory on those lines. i don't think i'd buy that. ihost: lo

my first oil spill was the exxon valdez. i came to the coast guard back in 1987. that has been my profession ever since then, oil spill response. >> we talk to some fisherman in venice yesterday who are worried that the way of life is going to come to an end. what do you say to people? >> i say that we are fighting for their way of life, and i say to them that they will fi

there was the exxon valdez, and there is drilling in the north sea and we do not hear about things like this. are the oil companies in the united states cutting corners? >> i would say that there are unfortunate tragedies across the world. probably the worst disaster in history was in the north sea. we have these things happening across the world and we have to improve from each one of them. >> does this show that oil drilling is inherently risky and there can always be a disaster? >> the track record is overall, very strong. but we have this tragic accident that we have to learn from. >> nobody is saying "drill baby drill" anymore. it is ridiculous that this could happen. and there is no response. >> the gentleman's time has expired. we now recognize a member of the full committee, the gentleman from new york. >> thank you. i am wondering if we're all not saying the same thing. and that is that bp should not be in charge of anything in this operation anymore. they have said, in different ways, that there is very little credibility that you have in telling us what is going on. these num

the highest level dictate special treatment for questions about global warming and the exxon valdez.this plan contains 13 pre- drafted press releases for -palmost any occasion. [buzzer sounds] >> give it a minute here. >> there is a fully drafted press relief for -- press release for an accident at a in exxon mobil facility. six expressed deep regret, while two or more expressed deep sadness. the media section also contains a topic guide, with talking points on over 65 issues. in five different places, the plan directs the public affairs agent to say, "we comply with all applicable laws and regulations and apply reasonable standards where laws and regulations do not exist." if the public affairr officer is asked about criminal charges, they are instructed to say hat they believe there are no grounds for such charges. this is an accident and they are dealing with it. that response is ready to go whether exxon mobile has any idea if it is an accident or if there are grounds for criminal charges. exxon has anticipated virtually every conversation that the company may need to have with t

the turning back the award of the exxon valdez, i wonder if the supreme court would do that today after what has happened in the gulf, and the most egregious decision, citizens united, which says corporations can be involved in political campaigns, can be involved in spending in political campaigns, something we said could not be done. british petroleum could say some of these members of congress are being too tough on us and asking questions, so we will spend millions of dollars to elect somebody who will say we are doing the right thing. i do not think that is going to happen, but that could happen. >> you seem to be critical of the court under chief justice roberts. are you trying to cap liberal activism? are you trying to paint conservatives as liberal activists? >> i think it is hard to find. certainly liberals said men could be paid more than women for the same kind of job. whether the liberals said exxon mobil hould not have to pay the amount the jury gave the people of alaska for their oil spill commo, and it was not activist liberals who said that for the first time since the t

we put in a proposal to the exxon valdez and the huntington beach oil spills. we did not have the resources, and we certainly could not work through the bureaucracy at the time. during dunton beat bill we have the san walkingelicopters -- during the huntington beach spill, we the san joaquin helicopters spraying chemicals everywhere. ww could have taken care of it your guys said no way, the bugs will mutate and spread. i was listening to marc levin today. he saithe epa has changed all e rules against microbiology. a professor says that nature will take care of this in time. these buds would take care of the hole clean up, and right now they desperately need it. i could not take care of it anymore, i do not have the supplies. i am just trying to find out if anyone is ting biological mediation. >> we have a lot of oil expertise working to clean it up. this is an unbelievable problem. i think, in a tough situati, we should learn from it. if youave ideas for how to clean it up, please prode them to me. i will make sure they get passed on to the coect a stories. --

they want to ask some questions about your expertise and your experience with the exxon valdez. what would be somm comparisons? >> comparisons are always a pittleetricky, because there are so many variables among the oil spills. the setting of alaska vs. louisiana, the oil is different. this is happening in a much so comparisons are difficult to do. the only generalization you can do -- it depends on a lot of variables. there are things that helpp minimiie the effect that we could see if it were a different set of conditions. >> can you talk about that? >> certainly the oil and the warm weather and the act that the gulf of mexico is a wide open body of water. what you are trying to do is put this in the larger picture and an oil spill is always a bad thing, there are situations that make it better than it could be. >> what are you doing here? >> we have a small group of technical specialists who are trying to assess ddspersants and a body weight types of this person's reevaluate types f dispersants, as well as the government agencies to have to decide what is the best long- term

for many, current events bring back the memories of the exxon valdez tanker spill. the accident was the low point in exxonmobil's history but also a turning point in the aftermath we lost a full scale top-to-bottom review of our operations and implemented far-reaching actions that today guide every operating decision we make on a daily basis. an overriding commitment to safety excellence is imbedded in everything we do with a daily commitment by our employees and contractors to a culture that nobody gets hurt. in the early 1990's we began development of our operations integrity management system or oims. a rigorous regime of 11 separate elements the measures mitigate safety, security, health, and environmental risk. it is significant the first element of oims is management leadership and accountability. this management system applies to every operation we undertake. it is our common global language for safety and accountability and when we do have incidents, we seek to learn from them so we continuously improve our performance and this system. it ii a system which r

they said they could not handle an exxon valdez size spill every day. they could not. they said it was 1,000 barrels per day. it was not, and they knew it. the other companies here today will contend this was an isolated incident. they will say a similar disaster could never happen to them. and yet, it is this kind of blind faith, which is ironically the name of an actual raid in the gulf, that has led to this kind of disaster. in preparation for this hearing, the committee reviewed the oil spill safety response plans for all of the company's here today. what we found was that these five companies have response plans that are virtually identical. the plans cite identical response capabilities and tout identical, effective equipment. in some cases, they use the exact same words. we found that all of these companies, not just the p., made the exact same assurances. -- not just bp [. . three companies that have provisions for protecting walruses. two plans are such dead ringers for bp that they list of phone number for the same long dead expert. the american people deserv

highest level, category d, dictates special treatment for questions about global warming and the exxon valdez. the exxonmobil plan contains 13 detailed, pre-drafted press releases for almost any occasion. give this a minute here. there is a fully drafted press release for an accident involving an exxonmobil facility. if the injury occurred off site, there is a separate press release for that. six of the stockpiled press releases are ready to express that they "deeply regret" an outcome while two more press releases rate -- stand ready to -- stand ready to express that exxonmobil is deeply saddened. the media section contains a topic guide with talking points on over 65 issues. five different places, the plan directs public affairs agents to say, "we comply with all applicable laws and regulations and apply reasonable standards where laws and regulations do not exist." if the public affairs officer is asked about criminal charges, the plan instructs them to say, "we believe that there are no grounds for such charges. this was clearly an accident and we're working to respond to the immediate ne

i have joined the white house's effort to overturn the supreme court's exxon valdez decisions. at legislation to prevent korgss from deducting punitive damage awards from their taxes so they bear the cost of their full extreme misconduct. our laws should encourage safety and accountability. they do not create the right incentives, we have to change them. whether as a result of greed or incompetence or negligence, bp's conduct as devastated the lives and lily hoods of countless people and their communities and they threaten the gulf coast's very way of life. it's been said by others that bp can spend millions and millions of dollars running adds saying how wonderful they are and how environmentally conscious they are. they can spend a lot more money helping the families that are suffering. the american people deserve better from all big oil companies who exploit our natural resources for enormous profit. in the months ahead t people of the gulf koeft will work to reclaim their coastline and livelihoods, wetlands and fisheries and many of us here will help them. fortunately the f

the harvested these microorganisms from the exxon valdez. these companies have been in business for quite some time. what they said they could do is in check it into the soil. you can treat 24 inches. it will work 21 days. you can also and checked it up to 20 feet under wheee you really get a massive amount of the micro organisms eating the hydrocarbon. after 21 days, when the soil is suitable, you come back in plant. it is a propagation process. you plant it where you wanted and planted 8 inches apart from each other. when these plants mature, they will interlock each other with the root system. i've got a picture of a healthy root system. that picture there, this plant is approximately 10 years old. it is a very fibrous root system. it is about 14 or 15 feet in depth. >> this route system grows horizontal it. it will not harm any of the natural plants that are and our wetlands or that we would proliferate on a sand berm. >> correct. it grows straight down. it does not have runners. it will not be an invasive species. it is being used in ov

we now have an oil spill that is seven times the exxon valdez, and yet there is no end in sight at this point. the purpose of this hearing is to ask these executives, the people taking the top salaries innthe world, and to get to their spot they have unusual acumen, foresight, energy, business awareness, and obviously have a lot of corporate political savvy to get where they are. they would not get here -- they would not be here otherwise. how can you say to us that america is protected with all the oil rigs that you have? we have almost 3800 in the gulf. can you tell us that america will be safe in that you have backup worst-case scenarios? he did not even tell us the right 5,000 barrels a days. obviously it was not bad. we need to hear from you under oath that you can in the worst- case scenario protect american shores. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. >> thank you, mr. chairman for holding the hearing, and i want to welcome our panelists today. the states along the gulf coast are dealing with this tragedy and my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and communi

so turning back the award in the exxon valdez, i wonder if the supreme court would do that today as they watch what's happening in the gulf. and i think the most egregious decision the citizens united, which has the interesting effect, this is the one that says that corporations can be involved in political campaigns, can be involved in spending on political campaigns, something that since the time of teddy roosevelt we said could not be done. yet bp, if they wanted, could say some of these members of congress are being too tough on us and asking questions. so we will spend millions of dollars to elect somebody who will say we're doing the right thing. now, i don't think that's going to happen. but under what the supreme court said, that could han. >> happen. host: you seem to be critical of the court under chief justice roberts. are you trying to paint the conservatives as the activists? >> i think it's hard to define where the liberals have been activist. it wasn't the liberals who said that men could be paid more than women. the same kind of job. whether the liberals that said that ex

they said they could handle an exxon valdez-size spill every day. they couud not. bp said the spill was 1,000 barrels per day. it was not. and they knew it. now the other companies here today will contend that this was an isolated incident. they will say a similar disaster could never happen to them. and yet it s this kind of blind faith -- which is ironically the name of an actual rig in the gulf -- that has led to this kind of disaster. in preparation for this hearing,,this committee reviewed the oil spill safety response plans for all of thh companies here today. we found was that these five companies have response lans that are virtually identical. the plans cite identical identical ineffective equipment. in some cases, they use the -- they use the exact same words. we found that all of these companies, not just bp, made the exact same assurances. that covers of the five response plans are identical -- are different colors, but the content is 90% identical. like bp, three other companies include references to protecting walruses, which have not called the gglf

the other thing is the exxon valdez, we knew there was this amount of oil and that's it.t was a ship. we simply don't know when the oil is going to stop gushing. so there's a perception in the country that this problem is getting worse and worse b, and why aren't they doing something? it is not fair, as the caller noted, to blame obama. but the presidency is responsible for this situation. host: how did the previous president handle the oil spill up in alaska? guest: well, he largely kept a hands-off attitude. there wasn't daily press conferences, compared to obama's involvement in this it was much, much less. but the president's response is in part determined by the public's appetite for presidential involvement. host: let's take a look at president carter. we've been talking about him a little bit. this is his speech about the crisis of confidence. >> i want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. i want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to american democracy. i do not mean our political and civil liber

we put on a proposal on the exxon valdez and other beach oil spills.he state of alaska told us we have the best proposal but we did not have the resources and no encouragement from the bureaucracy at the time. secondly, on the huntington beach bill, we had helicopters out spraying a chemical all over southern california. we had prepared a soup out of our stock that could of been sprayed on that oil spill. it would of taken care of that and we proved that it work. however the guy on site was all for it but then we got a call from sacramento st., no way, those bugs will mutate and if the world. they gathered all of that crap up and put it into the toxic wastes dumped in kern county. mark -- i listen to mark would have been today and he said that the epa has all but rules against any microbiology remediation, even though louisiana state university professor says that nature will take care of this in time. our process would excel or it that whole cleanup and they desperately needed. not that i could provide it anymore but i simply know how to do it. except

i am looking at the exxon valdez spill. i am familiar with the case because the law firm that represented the fishermen is in minnesota. b.p. has said it's going to pay all legit mate economic claims but exxon made the same statements after the oil spill in alaska. it then proceeded to litigate the claims brought against it for nearly two decades. what do you think we can do to ensure that families like the joneses will have a swift resolution of legitimate claims of b.p., transocean and other subcontractors, because exxon was same the exact same thing? >> i am certainly not involved in the claims process, senator. i did happen to see the testimony at the house judiciary committee from the b.p. representative. that's basically what i understand is these claims are filed with b.p. if they pay them, then they pay them. if they don't, they are rejected and sent to the coast guard for payment under the oil spill liability trust fund. i'm not sure what else you might be asking. >> it's that companies make claims, take big ads out

and now like to introduce the director of the doubt oo -- the exxon valdez incident. i've known over 20 years. i wanted to say hello to them. in the want as you some question about your expertise and your experience with the valdez. >> the captain is too generous. >> compaaisons are always a little tricky. there are so many variables in any one of oil spill. to say alaska of versus louisiana is different, but quantity, the same order magnitude, but a much different environment. the comparisons are difficult to do. my rule of thumb working on spills is that the only generalization you can do with any validity is "it depends." there are good things on this bill. -- this spill. it minimizes some of effects. >> can you talk about that? >> i think that certainly the oil, and the fact that the gulf of mexico was a wide, open body of water, that is a helpful thing. you have to put this in the larger picture and let people know that an oil spill is always a bad thing, but there are situations that make it better than they could be. >> what you do from here? >> we have a small

we have veterans from the exxon valdez and overseas and from some incidents over. they are all here to help us fight this oil spill. >> everyday is a good day for us. we take this very seriously. that is what is unique about spill we have had to fight inoi- the united states is that every day it is a new battle between new resources, new techniques, new innovations, a new race to fight for the cleanup of this oil so ttat the people of louisiana can get back to thhir way of life. this is what we can settle the main battlefront headquarters. 7s%fwe develop the objectives d goals to fight the oil spill. we also develop strategies. we send that out to our field commanders and nato commanders and air force commanderr out there. this is so they can carry out the objectives successfully. >> how is this new command+ system working with the coast guard and private companies? >> under the national contingency plan, the coast guard is the lead agency for oil spills. i have a 51% of votes t the vot. i have had discussions with bp and they understand clearly that i have 51% of

>> my first oil spill was the exxon valdez. i participated in the exxon bobbies in 1989. i deal with -- i participated in the exxon valdez spill in 1989. >> what you say when people say how it will come to an end/ -- to an end? >> i will do this until every last drop of oil is off the beach. we'll get them back to fishing again. that is my promise. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. i have something to share with you today. this is paper from the top command. i was onn of the lucky ones that got a hotel room in baton rouge. as i was checking in, a man came in to the hotel with his wife. his wife was holding that man and he was carrying into the hotel and he was barely able to stand because he was working so hard. i said, you can have my room. he gave me this note and it said thank you for everything you did. if i can ever beeof help, please call . i keep this with me. is about a way of life. i'm doing everything i can and hope you learn what we are trying to do to take care of this response. i was brought in here to be in charge of the response and i'm here to bring yo

it has been more than 20 years since the exxon valdez ran aground and oral is still contaminating. -- and oil is still contaminated. i saw the destruction caused by that oil spill firsthand. when the press coverage was intense, exxon issued a string of apologies. it promised to do the right things by the community and it vowed to make sure the way of life they knew would resume. but as soon as the cameras were turned off, exxon changed its tune. and it fought the communities, the families over every penny. instead of making those victims whole, exxon chose to make it laywerwyer-rich. they knocked down a punitive damage claims from $5 billion to $500 million. we cannot let history repeat itself. every four days, this bill of the size of the exxon valdez occurs every four days. we arefour ddaysays, witnessing the size of this bill that took place at exxon valdez. i want to make it clear that companies responsible for the oil spill must reimburse the american tax payer for every dollar the government spends on cleanup. while the amendment was not considered on the floor, the administrati

>> this morning we'll talk with the former reporter with the "anchorage daily news" during the exxon valdez oil spill about the federal response to the oil spill in the gulf. then reporter christopher rugaber discusses the survey of the nation's on

the harvested these microorganisms from the exxon valdez.se companies have been in business for quite some time. what they said they could do is in check it into the soil. you can treat 24 inches. it will work 21 days. you can also and checked it up to 20 feet under wheee you really get a massive amount of the micro organisms eating the hydrocarbon. after 21 days, when the soil is suitable, you come back in plant. it is a propagation process. you plant it where you wanted and planted 8 ches apart from each other. when these plants mature, they will interlock each other with the root system. i've got a picture of a healthy root system. that picture there, this plant is approximately 10 years old. it is a very fibrous root syem. it is about 14 or5 feet in depth. >> this route sysm grows horizontal it. it will not harm any of the natural plants that are and our wetlands or that we would proliferate on a sand berm. >> correct. it grows straight down. it does not have runners. it will not be an invasive species. it is being used in over 100 count

host: the 1990 law that was passed after the exxon valdez indicated that the polluter pays.d that it will pay. they have the $20 billion fund and the $100 million for others who are impacted by this. what is the ultimate cost? guest: it will be large. i have no good idea. probably $20 billion is in the right ballpark. to me, essenes to depend very greatly on how fast they can -- it seems to depend very greatly on how fast they can tap the oil well. -- cap the oilwell. there are concerns with the hurricane season coming up. we have a good chance of tapping this thing quickly. i understand that people have said -- bp has said they are hoping to keep improving the capture of the material. they hope to capture more and more of that material. that is really fundamental. i have dealt with pollution all my life. capture everything you can at the source. do not let it in the internment to begin with. they have several bites of the apple -- in the environment to begin with. they have several bites of the apple. i think, so far, they have done a pretty good job of not letting a whole

there is a hearing on the exxon valdez decision.embers will focus on the proposed bill that will allow punitive damages in oil spill cases. that is on c-span3 at 10:00 eastern. here on c-span, president obama holds a town hall meeting with citizens in wheaton, md., to discuss the health-care bill and the efforts to combat scams and frauds. live coverage at 11:40 a.m. eastern. >> no one has given them more opportunities. >> they are the faces you see every day. see some of their early television appearances at the c- span television library, with over 160 hours. it is one quarter century, and you can search in many ways. all available free, on-line. >> federal reserve chairman ben bernanke says that despite declines in financial markets, he does not think the u.s. economy will slip back into recession. he was interviewed by a former newsman sam donaldson -- by former newsman sam donaldson. this is about one hour. >> before i introduce our program, i would like to say a word of welcome to several people who are here. i want you to kno

it happened with exxon valdez. there many different ways to construct that. the president is recommending an approach. host: the president's speech at 8:00 p.m. tonight, and you can watch it on the c-span networks, radio, website, just after 8:00 p.m. kansas city, you are on. caller: thank you both. senator, you are one of my champions. first of all, there has to be more regulationn, firstly. and congress should pass a law that there is no new offshore drilling until there is some type of shut off valves and place. if we could go down to the titanic, -- i just don't think the well-defined a solution in this place. the wait until after the disaster has happened. i hope that i'm wrong, but i think that bp will probably go bankrupt within a year and we will see all these stations boarded up. then how will the people get paid? will the government have to take up the bill, then? guest: that is the point. if bp does not pay this, the federal government or american taxpayers will be stuck with the bill. that is what it is important that a very large, successful comp

heard of his 21-year legal saga being involved, on bhaffs of many of tens of thousands of the exxon valdez spill, we would like to hear your questions or commens as relate tos gulf of mexico oil spill. very anxious to hear your questions or comments on lessons learned and if you'd like more detail about what happened in the exxon valdez legal prosecution. let's begin with a telephone call from texas. this is rick on the democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning to you. host: yes, sir, your questions comments? callerone comment is i grew up in southeast, louisiana. for then you have what they call bum rushes which isn't but ma they call kane. and there's actually no actl ottom. and that will never be cln. there's no way -- that was one of the biggest places, bass, and everything grow. and i'm going toive you an example of the oil companies. i gw up in an area of venezuela called the wagon wheel held up by texo started the year i was born. and that area has been destroyed. there are pits every where. where they lost things and they sue them i'm guessing color to -- and y can go out

exxon valdez was a response to a transportation problem, not an exploration problem. now we have exploration problems. there will be new legislation that addresses this and we want to get it right. we do not want to overdo it and further our dependence on foreign oil, and we do not want to under-do this. i will see to it that we get it right. again, this is bp's problem. my suspicion is they will find that someone, in an effort to save $10 million, $20 million, -- you cannot legislate common sense. someone did something on that rig which defied common sense and led to the disaster. host: there was a story that talked about the 10-fold increase in deepwater drilling and the minister of number of regulators, overseer's directed to cover these things. is that not congress' responsibility? -- congress' responsibility? guest: absolutely. just as we passed a bill on exxon valdez, there will be a new set of laws that will hopefully prevent this from happening again. we have not had a minor or even a major tanker spill. most of our material stays in the vessel. host: a differ

like during the "exxon valdez" spill, hundreds of people who worked that spill died after working thatll. and we know that they need respirators down there >> larry: anderson, you have almost lived there, seems forever. how do you explain the resiliency of those people? >> i mean, look, this is a region that has seen a lot of natural disasters. this, of course is not a natural disaster that bears repeating often. this is a man-made disaster. but this is a place that you know, these are tough people. and it sounds cliche to talk about resilience. we reporters often talk about it in disaster zones but it really is true are. you see that in, you know, in generations of people who have carved a living out of the marches, who carved a living off the land here and that is going to continue. new orleans is a remarkable place. it is a city of memory. it is a place where it doesn't erase the past, even how painful the past may be, incorporate the past, like walking -- walking down the streets, you see the past alive in the present. and i think this city, new orleans will continue, the gulf coas

a couple of live events this morning -- the senate judiciary committee holds a hearing on the exxon valdez court decision and oil spill liability caps. members will focus on a proposed bill that would allow punitive damages in oil spill cases. that is on c-span 3 at 10:00 p.m. -- 10:00 a.m. eastern. president obama will hold a town hall meeting in wheaton, maryland to talk about health care. citizens will be able to participate across the country by telephone. live coverage on cspan and cspan radio. >> candidate in this race has given voters in new hampshire or america up more opportunities to ask him questions and see what he is made of. >> these are the faces you see every day. see some of their early television experiences on this cspan video library. it is 25 years of a video all available free on line. >> federal reserve chairman ben bernanke says that despite declines in financial markets, he does not think the u.s. economy will slip back into recession. he was interviewed by former abc newsman sam donaldson at the woodrow wilson center for international scholars. this is a little le