Matt McCullough, Communications Director (202) 225-5235

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Steve Southerland, II issued the following statement in response to the $4 billion criminal settlement announced today between the U.S. Department of Justice and BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill – including $2.4 billion for Florida and the other Gulf Coast states:

“While the administration has acted aggressively to secure a settlement of BP criminal penalties, our Gulf Coast communities deserve a similar commitment in resolving civil damages through the framework established by the RESTORE Act.  These critically important civil fine monies should not be sacrificed in order to achieve a swift resolution to the criminal charges.”

Southerland joined Gulf Coast colleagues Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Jeff Miller (R-FL), Jo Bonner (R-AL), Steven Palazzo (R-MS) and Pete Olson (R-TX) in co-authoring the House version of the RESTORE Act.

###