Text Timeline

Text Timeline
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1 sec.	Unofficial Transcript
6 min.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California The committee will come to order. The Oversight Committee exists to secure two fundamental principles: first, Americans have a right to know that the...
23 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and good morning. Let me first welcome Governor Barbour, and I thank you very much for being with us today. I also...
5 min.	Governor Barbour your State has been through a tremendous amount of difficulty, and I sincerely look forward to your testimony. Let me also welcome Michael Bromwich from...
	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank you.
1 min.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I ask for 1 minute unanimous consent to respond. Without objection. To my ranking member, just for your edification, this investigation began under your...
4 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland Mr. Chairman, may I have a minute?
1 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Of course.
59 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland Let my say this, Mr. Chairman. As I said from the very beginning, my number one concern is helping the American people, and it is about the integrity...
24 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentleman. With that, we are prepared to introduce our first panel. I am going to deny myself the honor of introducing Governor Barbour and...
2 min.	Mr. Palazzo Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Issa, Ranking Member Cummings, and members for allowing me the privilege of introducing someone who I believe will provide...
1 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentleman.
13 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Pursuant to the rules of the committee, Governor, would you rise to take the oath. Governor, do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you are...
1 sec.	Governor Barbour I do.
16 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Let the record reflect that the Governor answered in the affirmative. Governor, you know this routine. You have seen it for years. Your entire statement...
12 min.	Governor Barbour Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to the ranking member and all the members of the committee, thank you very much for having me here. I am going to not read...
1 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California No apology required.
15 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I now ask unanimous consent that the staff report entitled "The BP Oil Spill Recovery Effort: The Legacy of Choices Made by the Obama Administration"...
26 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I would also note for the minority that after the break, it's my intention to have a committee vote to make this a committee report. So during this intervening...
7 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland It is my understanding that, according to the committee rules, we have to have 3 days before a committee vote.
4 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California That is correct. I am giving you more than 10 days' notice.
2 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland I thought you said today.
34 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California No, no. What I'm doing is I am I asked and got permission to enter this in the record. It's a staff report. I am going to elevate it to a committee...
2 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland So when will that vote be?
4 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California It will be after the break at the earliest, so more than 10 days.
2 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland Go ahead. I misunderstood you.
14 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I am just noticing it for the future. And with that, I'd like to recognize the former chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Burton,...
4 sec.	Burton, Danny "Dan" Lee - U.S. Representative, [R] Indiana Welcome, Governor Barbour. It's great to see you again.
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you.
6 sec.	Burton, Danny "Dan" Lee - U.S. Representative, [R] Indiana Looks like you elected a pretty goodlooking, articulate young man to serve in the Congress, so congratulations.
2 sec.	Governor Barbour Won't take him long to get grey hair.
3 min.	Burton, Danny "Dan" Lee - U.S. Representative, [R] Indiana That will come in time if he sticks around this place. First of all, let me say I have been to the Gulf Coast not Mississippi, but I will come and I walked...
58 sec.	Governor Barbour The two big reasons of the Stafford Act being preferable to State and local governments, we're used to it. We deal with it all the time. I think when...
11 sec.	Burton, Danny "Dan" Lee - U.S. Representative, [R] Indiana I know. But had the Federal Government recognized your jurisdiction under the Stafford Act, tell me how that would have been more of a positive situation...
1 min.	Governor Barbour Where it really became very apparent, we had a defense plan to defend our shores from oil different from Louisiana because we were 100 miles away. We...
6 sec.	Burton, Danny "Dan" Lee - U.S. Representative, [R] Indiana Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Governor.
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Would the gentleman yield the remaining time?
	Burton, Danny "Dan" Lee - U.S. Representative, [R] Indiana Be happy to.
1 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Oh, I am sorry, you were over it.
2 sec.	Burton, Danny "Dan" Lee - U.S. Representative, [R] Indiana I was over it, but I will be glad to yield.
7 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California No, no. We do not yield the other side the remaining time. With that, I recognize the gentlelady from New York, Mrs. Maloney, for 5 minutes.
11 sec.	Maloney, Carolyn - U.S. Representative, [D] New York I thank the chairman for recognizing me. And welcome, Governor. Welcome, Representative. It's very good to see you again.
	Governor Barbour Thank you, ma'am.
2 min.	Maloney, Carolyn - U.S. Representative, [D] New York Thank you for being here. Governor, the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan, bipartisan unit issued and I believe they are going to be testifying...
1 min.	Governor Barbour Ma'am, I can tell you that we are very familiar with this, in that for more than 50 years the rest of the country has been sucking the gulf dry and we...
15 sec.	Maloney, Carolyn - U.S. Representative, [D] New York The real royalty owner is the American taxpayer. So do you believe that the taxpayer has a right to every cent that is owed to them under these leases...
35 sec.	Governor Barbour And that I believe the Mississippi taxpayer should share in that when we are dealing in the waters that are Mississippi waters and are part of the Outer...
2 sec.	Maloney, Carolyn - U.S. Representative, [D] New York Well, I must
2 sec.	Governor Barbour That was a "yes."
47 sec.	Maloney, Carolyn - U.S. Representative, [D] New York I must state for the record, though, that Chairman Markey, or Ranking Member Markey, has a bill on this that would correct it. And when it came before...
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentlelady. We now recognize the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Lankford.
2 sec.	Lankford, James - U.S. Representative, [R] Oklahoma Mr. Chairman, I'd like to yield my time back to the chairman.
40 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I'd like to take it. I thank the gentleman. Congressman, you don't have to remain, since we didn't swear you in, but you are welcome to stay. You look...
4 sec.	Governor Barbour There's no question of that as it currently stands.
33 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California And so for the foreseeable future, if there were to be another one, you would potentially have another oil loss in which the Federal Government was able...
1 sec.	Governor Barbour That's correct.
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California if it's outside the period.
4 sec.	Governor Barbour We are not compensated for what we do.
25 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California So let me ask a straightforward question. Do you believe that from this side of the dais, that we should look at legislation that provides sooner and...
16 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, two things. There is legislation that was passed, I think in 2006, that is going to stairstep up, that's going to give the States a share and stairstep...
3 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Gets 10 percent of the royalties or something.
1 min.	Governor Barbour And maybe go up to 35 percent or something. But until that goes into effect and I would urge y'all, put it in effect immediately, you know, that's what...
23 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Well, there you go. We certainly have seen a lot of those rigs sail off. Let me ask you a followup question. You mentioned the immediate following, the...
1 min.	Governor Barbour Regardless, you know, I am not I am a recovering lawyer, so I know that a judge has ruled that the Gulf Coast Compensation Facility, whatever it's called,...
31 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California And the gentlelady from New York has left, but I might note for the record that I still am trying to find a constitutional way to adjust for those flawed...
4 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
2 min.	Governor Barbour in the Animal Kingdom down in Disney World, there's a saying over at Animal Kingdom that says this. It says, "We do not inherit our environment from our...
3 sec.	Governor Barbour I am not familiar with that specific requirement, Congressman.
28 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland All right. Let me read exactly what it says. Each oil company must demonstrate and I quote this that it has access to and can deploy surface and subsea...
1 min.	Governor Barbour Congressman, superficially that's a reasonable statement that you have just made. How it's enforced and regulated is something of which I am ignorant,...
5 sec.	Governor Barbour I think the risks are way too small compared to what you'd give up.
50 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland So in other words, if this were to happen again, if we had 87 days of oil spewing out into our waters, you're saying that the risk of that far outweighs...
38 sec.	Governor Barbour I think beyond that, Congressman, it is very clear that this well blew out because normal, standard procedures and protocols weren't followed. I don't...
2 sec.	Cummings, Elijah - U.S. Representative, [D] Maryland I understand. Thank you.
4 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentleman. The gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. DesJarlais, is recognized for 5 minutes.
39 sec.	Desjarlais, Scott Eugene - U.S. Representative, [R] Tennessee Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Governor Barbour, for being here. Along the lines of the negative effects of stricter drilling regulations on the...
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Yes.
3 sec.	Desjarlais, Scott Eugene - U.S. Representative, [R] Tennessee Do they find them problematic?
1 min.	Governor Barbour Well, the people that talk to us don't know all the details of the rules. All they know is that the regulatory efforts of the government are shutting...
27 sec.	Desjarlais, Scott Eugene - U.S. Representative, [R] Tennessee Okay. How about let's talk a little bit about BP's actions during the spill and recovery. There were many officials and citizens that felt BP played too...
1 min.	Governor Barbour No question, BP had a big say in the response and they were paying for it. But I have to tell you, Congressman, sometimes BP was easier to deal with than...
12 sec.	Desjarlais, Scott Eugene - U.S. Representative, [R] Tennessee If you want to put on your teacher's hat for a moment and grade response efforts of BP, the Coast Guard and the Obama administration, what grade would...
46 sec.	Governor Barbour You know, when you have been through the worst natural disaster in American history as Governor of Mississippi, its you learn not to criticize people...
18 sec.	Desjarlais, Scott Eugene - U.S. Representative, [R] Tennessee I think that's very diplomatic and reasonable. No one can fully prepare for this. We always learn and we try to make improvements. And I think that I...
1 min.	Governor Barbour Well, we have had no evidence whatsoever or finding of anything from the oil spill that got into the reproductive chain. We're not seeing fish with four...
1 sec.	Desjarlais, Scott Eugene - U.S. Representative, [R] Tennessee Thank you, Governor.
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you, sir.
6 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California The gentleman's time has expired. We now go to the gentlelady from the District of Columbia, Ms. Norton, for 5 minutes.
43 sec.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Governor, I appreciate your coming. I've listened to what you had to say; much of it is reasonable. For example, you...
4 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, ma'am, if you mean
	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia I mean
	Governor Barbour Drilling oil.
2 sec.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia I mean preventing oil spills.
5 sec.	Governor Barbour No, ma'am, I don't think that's the best way.
2 sec.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia Well, obviously, Governor, I mean preventing an oil spill.
1 sec.	Governor Barbour I'm sorry.
2 sec.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia I mean preventing an oil spill.
4 sec.	Governor Barbour That's right. Follow the right protocols and procedures, because you don't have one to start with.
1 min.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia Yes, sir, that's what this hearing is about is the oil spill. Now the administration has focused on how to prevent it from happening again. But it has...
23 sec.	Governor Barbour As I understand the statement I would, because I think what he's saying is as the Chairman of a big oil company, his incentive, among others, is he doesn't...
1 min.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia And he is saying, and what is what is what is really interesting in what he's saying is that the company not only supports the administration's new...
7 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, I certainly don't take any issue with what you said.
1 min.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia Because I agree with you about the importance of preventing, rather than litigating, as you said. The only way to do that is to hold the industry accountable....
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California The gentlelady's time has expired.
46 sec.	Governor Barbour I would simply say, ma'am, these companies have huge incentives to selfregulate. We went from 50 years with one no occasions in 31,000 wells before...
2 sec.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia There is a difference between a moratorium and new regulations.
26 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, it is a form of regulation; we're going to shut you down while we write new regulations. So while everything that you said I am very comfortable...
3 sec.	Norton, Eleanor Holmes - Congressional Delegate, [D] District of Columbia Of course, Governor, that's a straw man.
4 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California The gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognized, Mr. Kelly.
5 sec.	Kelly, Mike - U.S. Representative, [R] Pennsylvania Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to yield my time back to the chair.
7 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentleman. Governor, that means he's given me the time.
2 sec.	Governor Barbour I couldn't see him, I'm sorry.
6 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I have no shortage of questions and responses. Governor, are you familiar with the Marine Well Containment Company?
4 sec.	Governor Barbour No, ma'am no, sir. Sorry, I was thinking about Ms. Norton.
21 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California A different line of questioning. They are the group basically overseeing a billion dollars' worth of funds that were put together by the various oil companies...
10 sec.	Governor Barbour I didn't know it by that name. But it is the industry effort for post oil spill. Yeah, I'm familiar with the program, not with the name.
5 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California And wasn't that billion dollars spent by the companies who had never had a significant spill in the gulf?
2 sec.	Governor Barbour I think exclusively.
16 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Right. Exxon, Mobil, Shell, Chevron, and Conoco. Another thing I want to get into the record. As you know, Governor, when you and I first met, I was a...
1 sec.	Governor Barbour A long time.
14 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California It takes a long time to recover. But the number you gave earlier was meaningful enough to repeat it; 1.4 million barrels per year seep into the gulf...
3 sec.	Governor Barbour Yes, sir. That is what the U.S. GIS says.
1 min.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California And for eons, the gulf has absorbed that. It defuses it, things eat it eventually. It ultimately is part of the ecosystem. Well, let's go through the...
27 sec.	Governor Barbour Congressman, right after the oil spill happened when I say right after, the first month or so we had professors and experts who told us that the gulf...
3 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Including Santa Barbara, California, where it has come ashore for years.
1 min.	Governor Barbour I think probably the first place in the country that it was ever talked about was Santa Barbara, that they have oil that seeps through the floor there....
5 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentleman. The time has expired. I recognize Mr. Clay for 5 minutes.
6 sec.	Clay, William Lacy Jr. - U.S. Representative, [D] Missouri Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Governor, for coming today to the hearing.
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you, sir.
1 min.	Clay, William Lacy Jr. - U.S. Representative, [D] Missouri The National Commission Report noted something that may seem obvious, which is that the offshore oil and gas industry is inherently dangerous. But the...
39 sec.	Governor Barbour Of course. My State is an oil and gas State, not just offshore. And a drilling rig is dangerous. I mean, you see a lot of people who worked in the oil...
8 sec.	Clay, William Lacy Jr. - U.S. Representative, [D] Missouri Do you think these numbers indicate that new safety measures were long overdue well before the deepwater oil spills?
20 sec.	Governor Barbour I think the industry tries very hard to protect their people, because it is very expensive when they don't. So rational regulation is something we ought...
21 sec.	Clay, William Lacy Jr. - U.S. Representative, [D] Missouri Okay, fair enough. Governor, some have suggested that new safety measures should apply only to deepwater wells because that's where BP's rig was when...
22 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, again, if you're talking about safety measures to try to prevent injuries I don't think that's what you're talking about I think you're talking...
30 sec.	Clay, William Lacy Jr. - U.S. Representative, [D] Missouri Thank you for that answer. Governor, Dr. Harriet Perry of the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast research lab, identified oil droplets in blue...
45 sec.	Governor Barbour If they had showed up in any samples that we ever took out of the gulf, I would have been concerned about it, seafood samples. We're very proud of the...
31 sec.	Clay, William Lacy Jr. - U.S. Representative, [D] Missouri Well, Governor, there are a number of reports of red snapper showing up with lesions in the gulf. A Louisiana State University professor is fairly confident...
19 sec.	Governor Barbour Again, Congressman, if this were showing up in any samples of seafood taken by the government, Federal Government or State government, I would be more...
4 sec.	Clay, William Lacy Jr. - U.S. Representative, [D] Missouri But would you be concerned about digesting this?
21 sec.	Governor Barbour If it was showing up in seafood samples that we're sampling by the thousands between the Federal Government and State government, then that would give...
14 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California The gentleman's time has expired. The question has been asked and answered. We go to the gentleman from Texas. And please, Mr. Foretold, do not get into...
36 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas Absolutely not. Texas and Mississippi share a common bond. Both border the Gulf of Mexico and are both deeply affected by what happens in the Gulf of...
5 sec.	Governor Barbour Particularly Florida. Texas too, sure. Sorry.
29 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas You have Brazilians looking at drilling, Cuba offering leases, just immediately nearby to Florida. Mexico for a long time has been exploring the Gulf...
2 sec.	Governor Barbour That's correct as I understand.
19 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas So don't you think it might be a better use of our resources, rather than crippling our domestic companies and our domestic exploration and 25 percent...
51 sec.	Governor Barbour I do think it's more I think it is appropriate that the oil industry is doing it itself, paying for it. They know more about it than anybody else. It...
6 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas And in your opinion, no amount of government regulation can protect us from what other countries
9 sec.	Governor Barbour If we have rational regulation, that is good. But to have excessive regulation, unnecessary regulation, that's bad.
9 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas And regulations like and slowdowns in issuing permits I think you would consider to be falling under to be a problem, too.
2 sec.	Governor Barbour Of course it is.
7 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas And like Texas, I assume Mississippi has seen significant job loss as a result of this.
2 sec.	Governor Barbour We have. Most of the guys have just left.
9 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas Are y'all seeing assets that have been based in your State moving into other areas of the world, drilling platforms?
51 sec.	Governor Barbour What we saw happen after the moratorium, some of the big rigs came in for maintenance. Good time for maintenance because you can't work. But after the...
8 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas I appreciate your coming up and taking time to share your experiences with us. I know your time is valuable so I'll yield back.
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Would the gentleman yield?
3 sec.	Farenthold, Blake Randolph - U.S. Representative, [R] Texas Yes, sir.
2 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you, sir.
18 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Governor, 250,000 barrels a day less are going to be taken out of the gulf. If more than a quarter of that is Mississippi related economic related, what...
3 sec.	Governor Barbour We get so little of it
4 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I'm not talking about the royalty revenues, I'm talking about the jobs.
30 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, it does have an effect on jobs. We have a lot of people who work offshore. As I said, I don't mean this as precision, but 4 of the 11 people killed...
13 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Governor, last question. Isn't it really a question of do we get it in America or do we get it somewhere else? Isn't that really the gulf question today?
1 min.	Governor Barbour Well, if you look at when has the United States had reduced use of oil, it is every time there's been a recession. And so I don't want a recession. If...
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Thank you, Governor. Mr. Davis is recognized for 5 minutes.
5 sec.	Davis, Danny - U.S. Representative, [D] Illinois Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Governor, for being here.
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you, sir.
27 sec.	Davis, Danny - U.S. Representative, [D] Illinois I've listened intently to your testimony. Of course, I grew up in the Mississippi Delta on the other side of the river, near Greenville, Mississippi,...
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Amen.
1 min.	Davis, Danny - U.S. Representative, [D] Illinois And so we have a tremendous relationship with the State itself, and we watch very closely what takes place and what goes on. I know we're talking about...
1 min.	Governor Barbour The fishing industry hurts very badly because waters were closed. Federal waters were closed first.. Mississippi waters were closed once we had encroachment....
28 sec.	Davis, Danny - U.S. Representative, [D] Illinois Are you confident that our Food & Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency, that the agencies that we rely upon to determine the safety...
9 sec.	Governor Barbour I have no reason not to be, Congressman, so I am. It's a team, State and Federal. But yes, sir.
26 sec.	Davis, Danny - U.S. Representative, [D] Illinois Let me ask you, other than perhaps the listing of any moratorium, what else can the Federal Government do that might assist with the economy? We know...
1 min.	Governor Barbour The Federal Government is able to collect enormous fines under the Clean Water Act. The Federal Government can assess through fines and through whatever...
2 sec.	Davis, Danny - U.S. Representative, [D] Illinois Thank you very much.
2 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you, Congressman, for asking.
5 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentleman. We now go to the gentleman from Idaho, Mr. Labrador, for 5 minutes.
2 min.	Labrador, Raul R. - U.S. Representative, [R] Idaho Hello, Governor. In Idaho, obviously, we don't have an oil industry, so I don't spend a lot of time thinking about this, but I think about common sense....
1 min.	Governor Barbour I can't slight the regulatory regime, but in the normal standards and protocols of shutting in a well, it was clear from the reports at the time, and...
19 sec.	Labrador, Raul R. - U.S. Representative, [R] Idaho So why is it that here in Washington we don't seem to understand this? Why is it that we can't understand that we have regulations? I think you used the...
13 sec.	Governor Barbour Yeah. There have been more than 31,000 oil wells drilled in the Gulf of Mexico in the last 50 years or since they opened the gulf in our four States...
22 sec.	Labrador, Raul R. - U.S. Representative, [R] Idaho I think I will yield the rest of my time to the chairman. For the life of me, I cannot understand why we cannot in Washington, D.C. just understand that...
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you.
20 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I'm going to follow up on the gentleman's line of questioning because I think it was excellent. Governor, on the day that the oil well blew 100 miles...
2 sec.	Governor Barbour I don't know that, but I
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California It wouldn't surprise you.
2 sec.	Governor Barbour I assume it is true.
23 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California We're going to have the administrator of the successor organization, MMS, next. That's going to be one of our questions, is why is it that what failed...
13 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, I have to say to you, I accept that because the 31,000 wells I actually go from Janet Napolitano, so I accept people in authority's statement of...
14 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank you, Governor. The gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Connolly. And by the way I didn't have to look up what chutzpah was in your opening statement,...
25 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Thank you. Where I come from, chutzpah is a very common word. I want to welcome Governor Haley Barbour to this committee. And I was just thinking to myself,...
4 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you very much, Congressman, that is very gracious.
22 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia And thank you for your service. Governor, I was listening to your exchange with Congressman Burton and complaining about the negative media attention....
25 sec.	Governor Barbour Congressman, we didn't have devastation. The problem was, the news media took the very, very, very worst areas in Louisiana and they repeatedly showed...
1 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Hmm.
51 sec.	Governor Barbour And you may not have been in here literally, on our 80mile shoreline, we never closed 1 foot of beach for 1 day except on one occasion. We had a high...
5 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Yes. Common problem with the media sometimes.
3 sec.	Governor Barbour Amen. That's a bipartisan.
47 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Absolutely. When you look back now, and if someone gave you a truth serum, do you think in retrospect that the process for permitting and improving the...
59 sec.	Governor Barbour Congressman, in answer to your question, I think that what we have done for 50 years, with more than 31,000 oil wells, with very positive results in...
1 min.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Governor, I would agree with you. I don't think we have to turn the world upside down. But really my question, isn't that that's not our only choice....
45 sec.	Governor Barbour If the chairman is correct that there were two government regulators on the rig that day, and if the reports that have been written over and over and...
3 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Mr. Chairman, will you indulge me just one
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California The gentleman is recognized for one more question.
11 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Just a clarification, Mr. Chairman, thank you. Do you mean by that, let's have the full regulatory process that's on the books right now, no more exclusions?
25 sec.	Governor Barbour I couldn't go that far because of my lack of information. There may be some exclusions that are wellfounded, that are like we see in many, many other...
1 sec.	Connolly, Gerald "Gerry" E. - U.S. Representative, [D] Virginia Thank you, Governor.
41 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I thank the gentleman. Governor, this may come as a surprise to you, but I haven't had my round of questioning yet, and I'm going last. There may be another...
2 sec.	Governor Barbour That's correct.
2 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California But he did it anyway.
1 sec.	Governor Barbour That's correct.
22 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Can you explain why somebody would know that it was going to hurt economically and by the way, he follows that up, which isn't on this quote he follows...
1 min.	Governor Barbour Mr. Chairman, my own view is that the policy of the administration is to increase the cost of energy so that people will use less of it and, therefore,...
1 min.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Well, it's certainly done that. By the way, the quote that wasn't on the screen is, I am also aware that, as a general matter, the safety record for deepwater...
45 sec.	Governor Barbour And potentially, if the market believes that this is going to be policy for a while, that you are going to have a moratorium in the Gulf, that you're...
6 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California One more thing I wanted to get into the record. Governor, you are one of the many States that are Right to Work States, aren't you?
1 sec.	Governor Barbour Yes, sir.
6 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California In fact, every State in the Gulf of Mexico every oil State is a Right to Work State.
5 sec.	Governor Barbour I think all the States in the Gulf of Mexico. I don't know if every oil State
7 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California I'm sorry. California is an oil State. We're not Right to Work. But every Gulf oil State is, in fact, a right to work State.
1 sec.	Governor Barbour My belief.
46 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Does it surprise you that the policies of this administration seem to be targeting the economic wellbeing of your area and I'm not trying to say it's...
30 sec.	Governor Barbour Well, the moratorium was a mistake. It was very harmful not only to our State but I think, more importantly, very harmful to the country. And I can't...
1 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Every day here, Governor.
1 min.	Governor Barbour It's interesting, in the Senate bill to raise taxes on the oil industry, the idea was deficit reduction to raise the taxes $2 billion a day I mean,...
52 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California Well, Governor, I couldn't agree with you more that we can't be sure of somebody's motives. Although, I can be sure that if Wall Street were to cause...
3 sec.	Governor Barbour Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Congressman Cummings.
7 sec.	Issa, Darrell - U.S. Representative, [R] California We will now take a 5minute recess to set up the next panel.
6 sec.	Recess. �