President Obama demands BP pay for spill damage
President Barack Obama is demanding BP set aside billions of dollars to pay damages from the Gulf oil spill catastrophe. He is seeking to counter an image of detached leadership in the oil spill. Facing perhaps the biggest challenge of his presidency, Obama accused BP of "recklessness" in an address to the nation on Tuesday in the solemn setting of the Oval Office. He also used the speech to call for broad legislation to break the US addiction to fossil fuels.
The worst eco-disaster in American history threatens to distract Obama from his domestic agenda of bringing down 10% unemployment and reforming Wall Street. But he stopped short of offering specifics on his strategy for reviving climate legislation, a fight that could prove bruising in an election year when his Democratic party is struggling to defend its dominance in the American Congress.
Obama wants BP to establish a fund to guarantee it would cover the billions of dollars needed to clean up the mess and compensate people and businesses hurt by it. The meeting with the BP executives, along with the speech and a two day trip he took to the Gulf this week, were aimed at showing a handson approach to dealing with the spill.
Opinion polls show most Americans believe Obama has been too detached in his handling of it and has not been tough enough toward BP. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will meet with BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg and other executives.
Setting the tone for what could be a strong message to BP, Obama said on Tuesday he would "inform" the BP chairman "that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the people who have been harmed as a result of his company's recklessness."
"And this fund will not be controlled by BP. In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent, third party," Obama said.
The BP company executives "look forward" to a constructive meeting with Obama, a BP spokesperson said in a statement. "We share the president's goal of shutting off the well as quickly as possible, cleaning up the oil and mitigating the impact on the people and environment of the Gulf Coast," the spokesperson said.
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