US claims BP is not meeting Gulf duties
A US report claims that BP is shirking its responsibilities for the Gulf of Mexico, where a massive oil spill last year killed 11 workers and leaked fuel across the beaches of the coast.
Victims of the spill are worried that a $20bn compensation fund is not being properly run, the House of Representative’s oversight and government reform committee claimed in its report, and the drilling moratorium put in place after the accident has been badly enforced.
The report also strongly criticised Barack Obama’s administration for failing to take charge of the clean-up and compensation, slamming the President for placing “the perpetrator of a reckless and unnecessary tragedy at the helm of the recovery operations”.
“Failure to fund removal of clean-up equipment debris, uncertainty surrounding mental health services, and frustration associated with the compensation process are among the concerns of affected Gulf Coast residents,” the report said.
Some politicians representing the Gulf regions, including Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, disagreed with the findings, arguing that BP has taken care of those affected.