“Thus far, efforts by Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., and others who have backed the exemption have fallen short.”

Backbencher extraordinaire Lacy Clay is lending his clout (don’t laugh) to a longshot effort to keep the fabled steamship operating – even though the Coast Guard considers the all wooden ship a floating fire trap. Congress recently refused to renew a fire-safety exemption that has let it operate for nearly four decades.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, (D-Minn.) asserts that Congress has given no other ship such an exemption, and shouldn’t do so in this case.
“I can’t imagine the number of lives that could be lost if a fire started on the Delta Queen when everyone is asleep,” he said. “Congress would never exempt a particular 747 aircraft from FAA safety standards and we should not exempt a passenger vessel carrying hundreds of sleeping people from Coast Guard safety standards.”

The Missouri Politicl News Service commends Clay for trying to save a few jobs and a historic vessel, but it should not be at the cost of potential lost lives. Seems Clay is less dangerous when he’s talking about his teeth and defending his interns. Geez! Who is advising this guy?

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