From the President’s Office – 6/24/2011
Filed under: About,From The President's Office,News & Resources
The first week of summer has not brought a lot of progress on the Hill. Here at Ocean Leadership, we are continuing to monitor the ongoing federal budget and deficit debate. While two congressional members of the White House deficit reduction team have resigned, there are no specific new updates to give you this week. However, I want you to be assured that we are tracking the activities carefully to be sure that there is strong support for ocean science. We will continue to update you on the latest congressional activity as soon as we know about it.
Regarding the Gulf, it appears that Senators from those states most affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are very close to reaching an agreement to create legislation to distribute the several billion dollars in penalties that could arise from lawsuits against the companies involved in the spill. Because of the potential difficulties in diverting the funds before they go into a trust fund or into the federal treasury, the lawmakers are working together to create one bill that would provide funds for both the Gulf and the federal deficit. Legislation could be brought to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in a few weeks for consideration. More information can be found in the congressional news below.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Bob
