Public Citizen

January 16, 2019

Subject:

Dear President Obama,

I support your administration’s efforts to hold BP accountable for the economic damages suffered by people and businesses as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. On the surface, the establishment of a $20 billion compensation fund for oil spill victims is a positive step toward economic recovery in the affected region.

However, recent reports of the fund’s structure reveal that the public’s interest has taken a back seat to BP’s interest. Full compensation for victims is unlikely with a capped fund that is also doling out reimbursements for state and local response, natural resource harms, and payments pursuant to class-action and other civil action awards.
 
Moreover, the flawed structure could actually reward BP by creating incentives for its continued, and maybe even expanded, risky oil production in the Gulf.
 
In order to ensure the fund fulfills its intended purpose – to compensate the victims of the disaster - I support the following recommendations:

1) The administration should reconsider using revenue from BP’s existing Gulf of Mexico oil and gas wells as collateral for the Oil Spill Victim Compensation Fund;

2) Make parent company BP p.l.c, not a subsidiary with no apparent assets other than Gulf oil leases, the party responsible for paying all costs of the oil disaster;

3) Increase transparency of the fund structure and claims process by disclosing fund transactions and making all related documents and correspondence public.

I urge you to fix the fund.  Victims of the oil spill deserve to be fully compensated by BP.  And BP’s commitment to accept responsibility should not be contingent on its continued and future exploitation of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sincerely,

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