Good To Be Queen

It’s nice to be speaker. There was a disastrous oil spill in San Francisco Bay on Nov. 8 when an oil tanker carrying 58,000 gallons of fuel oil struck the Bay Bridge. And the accident, coming at the height of bird migration season, resulted in an ecological disaster for the bay and the birds.

Less than two weeks later, the House is holding a field hearing in San Francisco, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, Mayor Gavin Newsom and Democratic members of the California congressional delegation.

So how does the House, which is not known for speedily addressing such issues, move so quickly here? Because it happened in Pelosi’s district, that’s why. “It’s nice to be the queen,” said one high-ranking Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pelosi is unhappy with the Coast Guard’s response to the spill, pointing out that it took more than four hours for the agency to inform San Francisco officials. Rear Admiral Craig E. Bone, commander of the 11th Coast Guard District, was scheduled to appear at Monday’s hearing — and should have been well-prepared for an earful from Pelosi and the other Democrats.

“The San Francisco Bay is one of our region’s most precious resources. Its biodiversity and fundamental role in commerce and recreation make it essential to the vitality of the entire Bay Area,” Pelosi said in a statement. “This oil spill and the quality of the response to this environmental disaster are of grave concern given the harmful consequences that may have been avoided.”