They Don’t Call Them the ‘Grand Oil Party’ for Nothin’
Republican Senator Murkowski Blocks the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act That Would Ensure Oil Giants Like BP - Not U.S. Taxpayers – Pay for Environmental Catastrophes Caused by Their Negligence :
“I don’t believe…this is where we need to be right now”
Washington DC – On behalf of her Republican colleagues and the big oil companies that have made many, many generous contributions to her campaign coffers, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today blocked The Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act, a bill would raise the liability caps for oil companies from $75 million to $10 billion to help ensure that they pay every cent of economic and environmental disasters caused by their negligence -- negligence like that of BP which resulted in the calamitous, ongoing oil spill of incalculable proportions in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tom McMahon, acting executive director, Americans United for Change:“It’s almost unbelievable how far Congressional Republicans are willing to go to protect the bottom line of the oil companies that contribute so generously to their campaigns. Even in the face of an ongoing environmental catastrophe at the hands of oil giant BP, Republicans aren’t batting a lash at the idea of sticking American taxpayers with the cleanup bill – essentially giving negligent polluters a taxpayer bailout. They don’t call them the ‘Grand Oil Party’ for nothingand the bonus checks are no doubt in the mail.”
BY-THE-NUMBERS
Compiled by the Center for American Progress
$450 MILLION…The estimated total BP has spent so far to clean up its catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
$93 MILLION…BP’s daily profit during the first quarter of this year.
5…The approximate number of days of BP’s profits that would cover its total cleanup costs thus far.
11 percent…The percentage of Americans who hold a positive view of BP, according to a new poll from NBC and the Wall Street Journal.
2 percent…The size of the current leak relative to what BP promised federal regulators it could handle in its drilling permit application.
260…The number of failure modes the supposedly “fail-safe” blowout preventer used on BP’s leaking Mississippi Canyon 252 well had.
6…The number of dead dolphins that have washed up along the Gulf Coast.
87...The number of dead sea turtles that have washed up along the Gulf coast.
6,414…The number of claims filed against BP so far, mostly from fishermen and others for lost wages.
400,000 pounds…The amount of hair collected and being sent to the Gulf to be used to soak up oil. In response to the spontaneous, nationwide outpouring of hair, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration issued a fact sheet stating: "Recent reports of a need for hair are exaggerated and not helpful to the response effort.” Meanwhile, “high-tech” BP may still attempt a widely-ridiculed “junk shot” using golf balls, old rope, and shredded tires to slow or stop the leaking oil.