Contact: Alex Burgos, (202) 224-3041

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.”