Declarations

A Way to Overcome?

“What we’re currently doing, and I suspect it will probably take the next 48 hours or so, is saying, ‘Is there a way to overcome this problem?”‘

—Doug Suttles, chief operating officer BP Plc, commenting after the company suffered a setback in an attempt to contain oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with a huge metal dome. BP was forced to move the four-story containment dome off to the side on the sea floor after a buildup of crystallized gas forced it to suspend the effort. Covering the leak with the structure was seen as the best short-term way to stem the flow from the ruptured oil well.

Every Reason to Believe

“I have every reason to believe that BP is willing to step up and assist these families and businesses, and that support must continue so long as their livelihoods are being affected by this disaster.”

—U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D.-Louisiana, has called for BP to provide financial support to commercial fishermen in the Gulf who have been affected by the oil disaster. Sen. Landrieu has asked for immediate assistance to impacted businesses, which harvest seafood in the 23 percent of Gulf fisheries that have been closed by the spill. Louisiana seafood is a $2.4 billion industry, and is responsible for more than 27,000 jobs, according to a statement released by Sen. Landrieu’s office.