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9 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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11 CALLING UPON THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
12 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND THE DEPARTMENT OF
13 NATURAL RESOURCES, IN COORDINATION WITH THE
14 GOVERNOR, TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN DEVELOPING A
15 CONTINGENCY PLAN IN THE EVENT THE OIL LEAKING
16 FROM THE DEEPWATER HORIZON IN THE GULF OF
17 MEXICO IS SWEPT BY CURRENTS UP THE
18 SOUTHEASTERN SEABOARD; IN DEVELOPING THIS
19 PLAN THEY SHOULD ASSESS THE ACTIONS BEING
20 TAKEN TO COMBAT THIS CRISIS AND DETERMINE
21 WHAT SOLUTIONS ARE SUCCESSFUL AND WHAT ARE
22 NOT AND IDENTIFY THE BEST PRACTICES AVAILABLE
23 TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM AND THE RESOURCES
24 NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THIS PLAN.
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26 Whereas, on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon, an
27 offshore oil rig, exploded and caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico
28 below Louisiana, while finishing a well for British Petroleum, and
29 two days later a second explosion later caused the rig to sink; and
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31 Whereas, this tragic event not only took the lives of eleven
32 crewmembers, but it also set in motion a devastating release of oil
33 into the Gulf of Mexico; and
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35 Whereas, estimates have varied considerably on the amount of oil
36 flowing from the Deepwater Horizon drilling pipe, which is
37 approximately 5,000 feet below the surface. The estimates range
38 from 210,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) a day to the worst case
39 scenario at 4,200,000 gallons (100,000 barrels) a day; and
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1 Whereas, the size of the spill is expanding quickly, and in a matter
2 of weeks this it is expected to eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez
3 incident as the worst oil disaster in United States history; and
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5 Whereas, the oil slick continues to spread, and concern is rapidly
6 growing that the spill may be caught by the Loop Current below
7 Louisiana which rounds the Florida Keys and merges with the Gulf
8 Stream Current, which could then carry the oil up the east coast
9 bringing this environmental and economic disaster to South
10 Carolina; and
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12 Whereas, the General Assembly recognizes the urgent need to be
13 proactive and prepared for the possibility of the oil making its way
14 to the 187 miles of South Carolina’s coastline and its estuaries and
15 territorial waters; and
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17 Whereas, the Department of Health and Environmental Control
18 and the Department of Natural Resources have the expertise to
19 evaluate the impact of such an occurrence to South Carolina’s
20 coastal waters and, in coordination with the Office of the
21 Governor, to study and assess the solutions available and resources
22 needed to develop a contingency plan to address such an event.
23 Now, therefore,
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25 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate
26 concurring:
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28 That the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution,
29 calls upon the Department of Health and Environmental Control
30 and the Department of Natural Resources, in coordination with the
31 Governor, to immediately begin developing a contingency plan in
32 the event the oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf
33 of Mexico is swept by currents up the southeastern seaboard. In
34 developing this plan they should assess the actions being taken to
35 combat this crisis and determine what solutions are successful and
36 what are not and identify the best practices available to address this
37 problem and the resources necessary to carry out this plan.
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39 Be it further resolved that the Department of Health and
40 Environmental Control and the Department of Natural Resources,
41 in coordination with the Governor, should submit the contingency
42 plan to the General Assembly upon completion for its
43 consideration.
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2 Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to
3 the Director of the Department of Health and Environmental
4 Control, the Director of the Department of Natural Resources, and
5 the Governor.
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