Rep. Jo Bonner: BP settlement a "down payment" on debt to Gulf Coast
U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile
U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, said that today's announced criminal settlement between BP and the Justice Department represents "but a down payment" on the oil company's obligation to Gulf Coast.
Bonner said he was pleased that BP agreed to accept criminal responsibility for the disaster and the 11 deaths it caused. But he said BP has yet to mitigate the economic and environmental damage it unleashed on the Gulf Coast.
“The criminal settlement is the first phase in the ongoing settlement negotiations between BP and the federal government that will eventually include damages under the Clean Water Act," Bonner said in a written statement.
"BP must not mistake the Justice Department’s agreement to these criminal penalties from the 2010 spill as a signal that pending civil penalties under the Clean Water Act will be any less severe.
“When Attorney General Holder personally informed me of the settlement today he gave his assurances that the Justice Department would vigorously pursue further civil penalties under the Clean Water Act which is subject to the Restore Act. I have made clear to the Attorney General that anything less would be unacceptable to our coastal communities."
