WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak issued the following statement regarding the announcement that BP Managing Director Robert Dudley will replace CEO Tony Hayward in handling day-to-day operations in the Gulf spill:

“Tony Hayward’s evasive and obstructive responses to our congressional inquiry have further damaged BP’s reputation both on the Hill and in the Gulf region.  He was clearly not prepared to provide any substantive answers to our questions even though we gave him an additional week to prepare and provided him with a detailed letter outlining five critical issues we expected answers on.  Whether this change in Gulf leadership for BP will be productive remains to be seen.  I expect that Mr. Dudley will take a much more cooperative and open approach to answering our questions and responding to the needs of the Gulf region.  If not, his tenure will likely be as short lived as Mr. Hayward’s.”

Congressman Stupak, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, has held three hearings examining what caused the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and subsequent oil spill, including a field hearing in Chalmette, Louisiana to examine the spill’s effects on the families of those who their lives on the rig and the communities and environment of the Gulf Coast region.  

# # #