On Tuesday, July 13, 2010, BPSOS Gulf Coast Regional Director Grace Scire addresses the Oil Spill Commission on the struggle of Vietnamese American communities in the Gulf.

Created by a May 22 executive order by President Obama, the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling Commission (Oil Spill Commission) has seven members, with former Florida senator and governor Bob Graham and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William Reilly serving as its co-chairs.

>> Watch panel video on CSPAN here. [Grace’s testimony starts at Minute 9:05]

The Commission is meeting for the first time, and today is the its second day of hearings. The Commission will make recommendations “on how we can prevent -- and mitigate the impact of -- any future spills that result from offshore drilling,” according to the White House.

Joining other local leaders discussing the social and environmental impact of the spill on local communities, Ms. Scire discussed the impact of the oil spill on over 40,000 Southeast Asians in the Gulf.

Her testimony was praised by another panelist as “a hard act to follow” and drew significant attention from members of the commission who posed further questions about the unique challenges our communities are currently facing.

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