PBS "Newshour" - Transcript

Interview

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JEFFREY BROWN: All right, Senator Wicker, have we got your microphone fixed and earpiece? Can you hear me?

SEN. ROGER WICKER,R-Miss.: Can you hear me OK?

JEFFREY BROWN: Yes, I hear you very well.

JEFFREY BROWN: Apologies -- apologies for that.

So, explain -- explain your -- the opposition to the moratorium.

SEN. ROGER WICKER: Well, we have had 42,000 wells over 60 years. This one major incident shouldn't shut down the petroleum that we need and also the jobs that Gulf Coast families need. There are new safety standards in place since this blowout. And -- and I think there -- they should give us a comfort level.

The new endeavor that Senator Nelson spoke about should make him feel even better about resuming this. But the -- the practical matter is, our economy needs this oil. Our -- our Gulf Coast families need the jobs.

And a Moody's study just the other day said, actually, the economic devastation from the moratorium could be more than actually from the oil spill itself.

JEFFREY BROWN: Well, Senator Wicker, just to stay with you, if not a moratorium, what do you want to see from the federal government at this point, how heavy a hand? There's a lot of talk now about what kind of regulation. What would you like to see?

SEN. ROGER WICKER: Well, I support the new safety regulations, new regulations about different kind of cement, new regulations about the casing.

And I think, as a matter of fact, most of the oil companies, not BP, but most of them, had been adhering to these without incident over time. So, I feel good about that new step. And I think it will -- it probably will provide for less of a chance of this one-in-42,000 incident happening again.

JEFFREY BROWN: And, Senator Nelson, what about going that regulatory route, and also what about, of course, the jobs argument, which is -- much of the opposition to the moratorium is based on?

SEN. BILL NELSON: Well, the jobs argument is a legitimate question. And we are always in a question of trade-offs. What is more important? And, by the way, this is a modified moratorium. And it's not going to go on forever.

And it's certainly in everybody's interests to get the moratorium over quickly. And, yes, that task force, Roger, is developing this new device, but it's not ready. So, the question is, what is the -- in the trade-off, where is the greatest danger? And I think we need to just buy a little more time, even though it is going to sacrifice some jobs.

JEFFREY BROWN: And, Senator Wicker, I mean, as we listen to this, is this largely about the dictates of your individual states? We're talking about balancing trade-offs here, tourism, perhaps, on one hand, oil industry and jobs on the other.

SEN. ROGER WICKER: Well, we're all interested in tourism in Mississippi, too. We have balanced oil production and tourism in the Gulf Coast, with the exception of Florida, for decades now.

But I think you just had someone on right before us who is not from the Gulf Coast at all. This is a very important part of the United States economy. And there's no sense in a six-month moratorium causing more loss than the oil spill itself, when we now have new safety regulations and new precautions that should prevent this in the future.

We don't quit flying planes when there is an aircraft crash. And we shouldn't cut off this very vital part of our economy because of this very serious and tragic incident.

JEFFREY BROWN: Senator Nelson, let me turn to one other subject that has been continuing throughout this. That is the coordination between the federal government and state and local governments, times of coordination and getting along and other times of real tension. Where do you assess the situation right now?

SEN. BILL NELSON: Well, to begin with, the command-and-control wasn't there. And local officials were not getting the information and, in the case of Florida officials, they were not getting reimbursed.

Over the course of time, that has improved. And so the whole situation is functioning better. Now we're in a situation, assuming that the oil stays capped, and then that the relief well is successful, what we are in is scoop it all off the surface, and then let's get to the big unknown.

And the big unknown is, how much oil is underneath, what do we do about it, and what is going to be the ultimate effect on the health of the Gulf?

JEFFREY BROWN: Senator Wicker, what is your assessment of the federal vs. state and local governments?

SEN. ROGER WICKER: Well, I don't disagree with much what Bill just said. Big bureaucracies don't work very well. And the Department of the Interior, the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard haven't worked very well in this instance.

It turns out BP is a big bureaucracy, too. And the communication has just been terrible. And, certainly, there's an opportunity for lessons learned from this, too. There wasn't the communication between the spotters. We were so slow in getting those skimmers out there and the boom. A lot of this oil that is now in the shores of Florida and Mississippi and other states could have been prevented with earlier action.

And I don't understand why, but -- except that, whenever I see a big bureaucracy, I don't have really great expectations.

JEFFREY BROWN: Now, we were just talking about tourism. And, late this afternoon, the White House announced that there's going to be some high-level tourists to the Gulf, to your state, Senator Nelson. The president's family will be down there. I assume that's welcome news.

SEN. BILL NELSON: Indeed, it is.

I didn't know it. You are telling me the news. And I hope that they thoroughly enjoy some of the world's most beautiful beaches. I want to point out that, when you compare Roger and my state, he has an infinitesimal amount of coastline compared to the coastline of Florida.

Same thing when you compare the amount of beaches. And so, when you start evaluating whether or not you want to have drilling out there in the Gulf that is potentially not safe, we don't think the trade-off is worth it until you know and you have done your safety checks.

JEFFREY BROWN: And a brief last word from you, Senator. The -- Senator Wicker -- the president, of course, took some flak when he went -- the family went up to Maine, after asking Americans to visit the Gulf. Here he is -- I think it's in the middle of August, they are going to be going to the Gulf region.

SEN. ROGER WICKER: Well, we welcome them to the Gulf. And, you know, we -- we don't have as much coastline as Bill has in Florida, but it's mighty nice. And I will be down there this weekend enjoying it myself with my family.

JEFFREY BROWN: All right, Senator Roger Wicker, Senator Bill Nelson, thank you both very much.

SEN. BILL NELSON: Thanks.

SEN. ROGER WICKER: Thank you.

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