WASHINGTON–Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Interior (DOI) Ken Salazar, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson and Department of Energy Secretary Stephen Chu today met with BP CEO Tony Hayward and BP American Chairman and President Lamar McKay to discuss ongoing, coordinated response efforts and receive an update on BP’s spill mitigation plans for potentially affected Gulf Coast states.
Secretary Napolitano, Secretary Salazar, Secretary Chu and Administrator Jackson and other senior Administration officials requested an update on how BP plans to ensure an effective response in all potentially affected Gulf Coast states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
The administration—including the DHS, DOI, the Departments of Defense and Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency—has launched and coordinated an all-hands-on-deck, relentless response to this crisis from day one in order to mitigate the spill’s impact on public health, the environment and the economy.
As President Obama has made clear, BP will be held accountable for the costs associated with this tragic event.
Today’s meeting was the most recent in a series of ongoing coordination and communication activities between top administration officials and BP leadership.
BP is now accepting claims for the Gulf Coast oil spill.
