Polis Calls on BP to Suspend Dividend Payments and Marketing Campaigns until Spill is Secured

Press Release

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) joined a coalition of environmentally-minded House members and signed onto a letter calling on BP CEO Tony Hayward to suspend dividend payments and advertising campaigns until the company has capped the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, cleaned up the damage, and paid restitution to the businesses crippled by the disaster.

"With thousands of gallons pouring into the Gulf each day, the sole focus of BP's energy and resources must be the spill," said Polis. "Transocean recently tried to pay out nearly $1 billion to shareholders and now we are seeing BP try to do the same. They will be held responsible for their actions, and given the President's recent "ass kicking' comment, it would not be wise for BP to devote even one cent toward anything other than fixing the leak and cleaning up and paying for the damage."

The letter, initiated by Rep. Peter Welch (VT), criticizes BP for deciding to distribute $10 billion in dividends to shareholders and launching a public relations campaign reportedly worth more than $50 million.

Prior to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill, Polis sent a letter to the Minerals Management Service asking the agency to investigate concerns that BP's Atlantis rig, also located in the Gulf of Mexico, may be violating federal safety and environmental regulations and to delay the operation of the rig until the proper oversight, safety, and environmental assurances could be made available.

"We're seeing a pattern evolve of the companies trying to whitewash disaster while making moves to escape financial responsibility, and it's simply shameful," Polis said. "BP is continuing down a path of trying to quietly limit their responsibility for this mess by underestimating the amount of oil spewing into the gulf, contradicting scientific fact and denying the existence of underwater plumes, limiting media access to ravaged areas, hiding liability waivers in small print for local clean-up workers, and using unprecedented amounts of toxic dispersants with the hope of limiting the visual impact of this disaster while exponentially increasing its environmental toll. These actions have shown that BP is not to be trusted, and Congress must be diligent in watching every move they make."

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