Expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the fire at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee for their assistance in bringing the resolution to the House floor.

Madam Speaker, on April 2, Washington State experienced a tragedy when a fire occurred in the Naphtha Hydrotreater unit at the Tesoro oil refinery in Anacortes, Washington, in my district. Six workers died as a result of the fire. One more was burned and remains in intensive care.

I offer my condolences to the families, the friends and loved ones of the victims of this fire. My thoughts and prayers are with Tesoro's employees and everyone from the city of Anacortes and the State of Washington and our country who grieve for the workers who died and who suffered injury.

I encourage my colleagues to join with me in supporting this resolution to honor the lives of Matthew Bowen, Darrin Hoines, Dan Aldridge, Kathryn Powell, Donna Van Dreumel and Lew Janz.

This resolution also expresses the best wishes of Congress to Matt Gumbel, who was severely burned in the fire and is currently in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. I hope that Matt recovers as quickly as possible from these terrible injuries.

And earlier this week, Madam Speaker, I received a letter from the CEO of Tesoro and the chair of United Steelworkers Local 12-591 expressing support for this resolution. And I'd like to enter this letter in the Congressional Record.

Multiple Federal, State and local agencies, including the Chemical Safety Board, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, are currently investigating the cause of the fire. I strongly support the work they are doing to help us understand what happened and how to prevent a similar accident in the future.

And although most Americans don't associate northwest Washington with oil and gas, Skagit and Whatcom Counties in my district have been home to major oil refineries for over five decades. The four refineries in northwest Washington process a combined 500,000 barrels of oil a day. These refineries are central to the local economy, employing nearly 2,500 people and supplying over $200 million in wages to workers and contractors.

The refining industry is inherently hazardous. As one refinery employee in my district put it, ``We don't bake cookies; we bake oil.''

That being said, preventing accidents that harm workers is vitally important. As the fire at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes fades from newspaper headlines, we must remain sharply focused on worker safety, at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes and at refineries and industrial sites around the country.

While it's not possible to prevent all refinery accidents, we need to learn from what happened in Anacortes. We need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to reduce the risk of similar accidents in the future.

So I urge my colleagues to join with me in supporting this resolution expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to those who lost families, friends and loved ones in this terrible, terrible tragedy.

April 20, 2010.

Hon. Rick Larsen,

U.S. Congress,

Washington, DC.

Dear Congressman Larsen: The Tesoro Corporation, United

Steelworkers Local 12-591, and our family of employees wish

to express our collective gratitude for your Resolution being

considered in the U.S. House of Representatives that

expresses condolences for and honors the victims of the

recent tragic fire at our Anacortes, Washington facility. We

are deeply touched by your concern and that of your

colleagues in the House. Please know that we welcome and

appreciate the comfort your words provide to all those

affected.

Bruce Smith,

Chairman & CEO, Tesoro Corporation.

Walter Cleve,

United Steel Workers Union, Local 12-591 Unit Chair.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier) for recognizing me out of order to speak to a previous resolution.

Many years ago Gaylord Nelson, from my home State of Wisconsin, had a vision. He envisioned a world where our pristine oceans and lakes are protected, our air clean to breathe, and our planet preserved for future generations.

Being the wise man that Senator Nelson was, he recognized the environmental degradation that everyone around him was acknowledging, everyone, that is, but the political establishment, which wasn't interested in action.

He knew that if the environment was to have its place on the political agenda, it had to be brought there by the people. So he announced that there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment. He called it Earth Day. At the time it was a gamble, but worth the try.

No one expected the turnout: 20 million people came out to participate. The sheer numbers gathered the attention of the Congress, and it was those voices that led to congressional action on some of our most treasured environmental laws: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

I commend my colleague from Wisconsin, Mr. Obey, for bringing the resolution to honor the late Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to the floor. And the resolution also commemorates the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

In the words of Senator Nelson: ``Our goal is an environment of decency, quality, and mutual respect for all human beings and all other living creatures.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

announcement by the speaker pro tempore

Madam Speaker, I would like to speak in favor of this resolution that commemorates and honors those who were lost in the Tesoro explosion in Washington State. And this is something that is felt, I think, nationwide. And I appreciate Rick Larsen and his leadership bringing this for the Congress to consider this tragedy. And the reason is maybe twofold. One, we really look forward to a day in this country that our loved ones can go to work without the fear of them not coming home in these jobs, and we hope that this will help focus Congress and our continuing efforts to improve safety in the workplace for our loved ones.

My son worked on a pipeline project that terminated at the Tesoro facility and got to know some of these hardworking people, and they were aware of the dangers associated with the product they work with. And he was impressed, and I think we're all impressed, with their dedication to their jobs.

And I just want to express from the folks I represent our empathy for the families.

I also want to express my admiration for a fellow named Matt Gumbel who today is recovering at Harborview Hospital from his burns and doing well and is very impressed, as I just read some comments on his Web site of people saying, if Matt could get 100 feet following his injuries to the control room to help get help for the people who were injured, he'll be able to get through this. So we're thinking of him. And we commend this resolution to the Chamber.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1262, which honors the victims of the fire at the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes, Washington and expresses condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones in the wake of this tragic incident.

On April 2, 2010, as a team of seven employees worked in the refinery's naphtha hydro-treater, a devastating fire broke out. While the fire was quickly brought under control by Tesoro's fire control team and local first responders, three of the employees died immediately in the fire, three more died of their injuries, and another remains in intensive care after suffering severe burns.

I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the community of Anacortes and the entire state of Washington, including to Representative Rick Larsen who represents the affected community. Our district has five refineries that employ many of our constituents and we share in their unfortunate loss.

As we continue to deal with the devastating consequences of this episode, we must also direct our attention to preventing losses of life like this in the future. Ensuring the safety of our refineries must be a top priority to protect the security and wellbeing of our workers, their families, and communities.

Again, I would like to express my condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those killed in the fire and also offer my support and hope for a full recovery to the Anacortes community.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1262) expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the fire at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H. Res. 1262. This measure expresses condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims of the fire at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington.

This resolution was introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from Washington, Representative Rick Larsen, on April 15, 2010. The measure was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which worked with leadership to get it to the floor quickly. The measure has the bipartisan support of over 60 Members of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen).

Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the Representative from Wisconsin, Representative Tammy Baldwin.

Madam Speaker, I yield to my good friend, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), as much time as he may consume.

Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.