Sen. Ben Cardin asked federal scientists how they were able to keep track of the damage inflicted by the Gulf Coast oil spill to Maryland’s coasts and wildlife.
Specifically, Cardin wanted to know if federal agencies were collecting “baseline” measurements to be judged against later data.
“We want to have a clear baseline of where we are before the spill and after the spill,” Cardin said. “In order to hold [BP] liable we need to know the amount of damage.”
Eric Schwaab of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assured Cardin that the goverment was on top of it.
“We were out collecting baseline fish and water quality samples on April 28th, which was within a week of the event,” Schwaab said.
Schwaab said the government would continue to collect samples.
