Remarks by the President to the Nation on the BP Oil Spill
Oval Office
8:01 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening.  As we speak, our nation faces a multitude（群众，多数） of challenges.  At home, our top priority is to recover and rebuild from a recession that has touched the lives of nearly every American.  Abroad, our brave men and women in uniform are taking the fight to al Qaeda wherever it exists.  And tonight, I’ve returned from a trip to the Gulf¹ Coast to speak with you about the battle we’re waging against an oil spill（漏油，浮油） that is assaulting our shores and our citizens.

On April 20th, an explosion ripped through（裂开，突进） BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana.  Eleven workers lost their lives.  Seventeen others were injured.  And soon, nearly a mile beneath the surface of the ocean, oil began spewing（呕吐，喷涌） into the water.

Because there has never been a leak this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology.  That’s why just after the rig sank, I assembled a team of our nation’s best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge -- a team led by Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist² and our nation’s Secretary of Energy.  Scientists at our national labs and experts from academia（学术界） and other oil companies have also provided ideas and advice.

As a result of these efforts, we’ve directed BP to mobilize additional equipment and technology.  And in the coming weeks and days, these efforts should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well.  This is until the company finishes drilling a relief well（减压井） later in the summer that’s expected to stop the leak completely.

Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced.  And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it’s not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days.  The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic³, one that we will be fighting for months and even years.

But make no mistake:  We will fight this spill with everything we’ve got for as long as it takes.  We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused.  And we will do whatever’s necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy.

Tonight I’d like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward:  what we’re doing to clean up the oil, what we’re doing to help our neighbors in the Gulf, and what we’re doing to make sure that a catastrophe⁴ like this never happens again.

First, the cleanup.  From the very beginning of this crisis, the federal government has been in charge of the largest environmental cleanup effort in our nation’s history -- an effort led by Admiral Thad Allen, who has almost 40 years of experience responding to disasters.  We now have nearly 30,000 personnel who are working across four states to contain and clean up the oil.  Thousands of ships and other vessels⁵ are responding in the Gulf.  And I’ve authorized⁶ the deployment⁷ of over 17,000 National Guard members along the coast.  These servicemen and women are ready to help stop the oil from coming ashore⁸, they’re ready to help clean the beaches, train response workers, or even help with processing claims -- and I urge the governors in the affected⁹ states to activate¹⁰ these troops as soon as possible.

Because of our efforts, millions of gallons of oil have already been removed from the water through burning, skimming（撇去浮沫） and other collection methods.  Over five and a half million feet of boom has been laid across the water to block and absorb the approaching oil.  We’ve approved the construction of new barrier islands in Louisiana to try to stop the oil before it reaches the shore, and we’re working with Alabama, Mississippi and Florida to implement¹¹（实施，落实） creative approaches to their unique coastlines.

As the cleanup continues, we will offer whatever additional resources and assistance our coastal¹² states may need.  Now, a mobilization of this speed and magnitude will never be perfect, and new challenges will always arise.  I saw and heard evidence of that during this trip.  So if something isn’t working, we want to hear about it.  If there are problems in the operation, we will fix them.

But we have to recognize that despite our best efforts, oil has already caused damage to our coastline and its wildlife.  And sadly, no matter how effective our response is, there will be more oil and more damage before this siege（围攻，包围） is done.  That’s why the second thing we’re focused on is the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast.

You know, for generations, men and women who call this region home have made their living from the water.  That living is now in jeopardy¹³（危险） .  I’ve talked to shrimpers and fishermen who don’t know how they’re going to support their families this year.  I’ve seen empty docks and restaurants with fewer customers -– even in areas where the beaches are not yet affected.  I’ve talked to owners of shops and hotels who wonder when the tourists might start coming back.  The sadness and the anger they feel is not just about the money they’ve lost.  It’s about a wrenching¹⁴ anxiety that their way of life may be lost.

I refuse to let that happen.  Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside（不顾，驳回） whatever resources are required to compensate¹⁵（赔偿，补偿） the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company’s recklessness（鲁莽，轻率） .  And this fund will not be controlled by BP.  In order to ensure that all legitimate¹⁶（合法的，正当的） claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent third party.

Beyond compensating¹⁷ the people of the Gulf in the short term, it’s also clear we need a long-term plan to restore the unique beauty and bounty¹⁸（慷慨，奖励金） of this region.  The oil spill represents just the latest blow to a place that’s already suffered multiple economic disasters and decades of environmental degradation¹⁹ that has led to disappearing wetlands and habitats.  And the region still hasn’t recovered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  That’s why we must make a commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment.

I make that commitment tonight.  Earlier, I asked Ray Mabus, the Secretary of the Navy, who is also a former governor of Mississippi and a son of the Gulf Coast, to develop a long-term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan as soon as possible.  The plan will be designed by states, local communities, tribes, fishermen, businesses, conservationists and other Gulf residents.  And BP will pay for the impact this spill has had on the region. 

The third part of our response plan is the steps we’re taking to ensure that a disaster like this does not happen again.  A few months ago, I approved a proposal to consider new, limited offshore²⁰ drilling under the assurance that it would be absolutely safe –- that the proper technology would be in place and the necessary precautions would be taken.