Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska, spilling more than 40 million litres of crude oil. More than 1,900 kilometres of shoreline were polluted and hundreds of thousands of fish, birds and mammals lost their lives.
Scientists say eight species, including killer whales, harbour seals and loons, have failed to recover since this accident.
A U.S. report says oil still remains in many stream beds and is dispersed into waterways when tides change. Although Exxon will pay over $1 billion in penalties, money cannot compensate for the damage to the ecosystem and the loss in wildlife.
The Exxon Valdez lesson is that preventing pollution through strong legislation, good rules and effective enforcement is far better than reacting and curing. Therefore the moratorium on offshore drilling should continue.