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All of BP’s resources must be used to fix the mess that they’ve made.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 10, 2010
CONTACT: Aaron Keyak
office: (202) 225-5061
cell: (202) 905-6361
email:
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Washington, DC – Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ), a member of the House Science and Technology and Appropriations Committees, called on Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, to take immediate action to cap the severed oil rig pipeline that is contaminating the Gulf and pay for all clean up and compensation to those damaged by what is now “one of the greatest environmental and economic catastrophes of our time.”
“When private companies are able to hedge their cost-cutting and risk-taking on the backs of American taxpayers something is wrong – this sort of corporate gambling at the expense of others must end. BP has shown a lack of preparation for the inevitable occurrence when one of their oil rigs had a serious malfunction that lead to the disastrous consequences we see today,” said Congressman Rothman. “BP has made tens of billions of dollars in profits from their risk-taking that has now catastrophically harmed our nation’s waters, seafood industry and local economies. This situation is immoral at best and criminal at worst.”
“BP must speedily clean up and account for all the costs of their mess – from the local fisherman to all the living creatures in the ocean. In addition to the clean up, I demand that BP halts the $10 billion in dividends payouts to shareholders it recently announced and cancel their expensive advertising campaign. All of BP’s resources must be used to fix the mess they’ve made,” said Congressman Rothman.
The text of the letter, signed by Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) and more than 40 of his colleagues, is as follows:
Tony Hayward
Chief Executive Officer
BP
1 St James's Square
London
SW1Y 4PD
Dear Mr. Hayward,
As BP presides over one of the greatest environmental and economic catastrophes of our time, we find it troubling that your company plans to divert financial resources to shareholder dividends and slick marketing campaigns.
Even as oil threatens to flow into the Gulf of Mexico for months to come, press reports indicate that you hope to distribute $10 billion in dividends to shareholders before the full cost of this devastating oil spill is known. At the same time, your company has launched an aggressive public relations campaign, with full page ads in major newspapers and a reported $50 million television blitz.
We urge you to halt your planned dividend payout and cancel your advertising campaign until you have done the hard work of capping the well, cleaning up the Gulf Coast and making whole those whose very livelihoods are threatened by this catastrophe. Not a moment before then should you return to business as usual.
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