From the Office of Senator Kerry

Tuesday, April 29, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC – Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy and Representatives William Delahunt (10th District) and Barney Frank (4th District) today called on the Coast Guard to conduct a thorough investigation in order to identify the responsible party(s) and the cause of the oil spill in Buzzards Bay, off the coast of Southeastern Massachusetts.

In a letter sent today to Captain Mary E. Landry, Captain of the Port with the United States Coast Guard, Kerry, Kennedy, Delahunt, and Frank wrote: “We appreciate your quick and coordinated response to this spill in conjunction with other federal, state, local and private entities. We urge your continued diligence to ensure the swift and thorough clean up of this invaluable natural resource, and ask that you conduct a thorough investigation in order to identify the responsible party(s) and the cause of this oil spill.”

The four also requested a report on any contributing navigation problems, including “any required improvements to the channel through Buzzards Bay, your assessment of the current standards for barges and tugboats and whether they adequately ensure safe navigation through our waterways, and any additional authority the Coast Guard may require from Congress to effectively address the underlying causes of this oil spill.

The text of the letter to Captain Landry follows.

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