Key Quotes from Hearing on Lessons in Prevention, Response, and Restoration from the Gulf Oil Spill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Senate Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard Subcommittee today convened a hearing on lessons in prevention, response, and restoration from the Gulf oil spill. The hearing examined the ongoing response to and lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In addition, the Subcommittee addressed the continuing challenges relevant agencies and stakeholders face in the wake of the spill, the state of progress of damage assessment and restoration activities, and recommendations for improving the nation’s oil spill prevention and response capacity, and ensuring the long term successful restoration in the Gulf.

Rockefeller Remarks on Lessons in Prevention, Response, and Restoration from the Gulf Oil Spill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The goal of today’s hearing is to get an update on the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent leak that covered 1,600 miles of the Gulf Coast with oil. It’s unacceptable to me that more than a year after the worst environmental disaster in the Gulf, the responsible parties have not yet been held fully accountable. The Gulf of Mexico—the people, the coast, and the wildlife, is still waiting to be fully restored—and may never be.

Key Quotes from Hearing on Capturing Economic & Societal Potential on Nanotechnology Investment

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Senate Commerce Committee today convened a Science and Space Subcommittee hearing on capturing the economic and societal potential of nanotechnology investment. The hearing examined the potential of nanotechnology, federal initiatives to coordinate research investments, barriers to commercialization, possible environmental and health risks, and steps Congress can take to improve the return on federal nanotechnology investments.

Rockefeller Remarks on National Nanotechnology Investment: Manufacturing, Commercialization, and Job Creation

WASHINGTON, D.C.—I want to thank you all for being here today to discuss what some have referred to as “the next industrial revolution.” We are at a place today where big advances on technology are happening at a very small level—everything from bio-technology tools to detect early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, to soon reducing your computer’s entire memory to the size of a single tiny chip.

Chairman Rockefeller Continues Push to Eliminate Waste, Fraud and Abuse in Government Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV wrote the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Inspector General, Alison Lerner, on the importance of protecting taxpayer dollars from misuse. On Thursday, Inspector General Lerner is hosting a workshop to discuss preventing fraud in one of the federal government’s most important advanced technology initiatives, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.