Declarations

Sending a Clear Message

“I want us to send a clear message to Washington, D.C., today — our people don’t want a BP check, our people don’t want an unemployment check, our people want this arbitrary moratorium to end so they can go back to work.”

—Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal addressed the Rally for Economic Survival where he blasted the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling and called for an end to the moratorium so thousands of Louisianians can go back to work. According to the governor’s office, the current deep water drilling moratorium alone will result in an estimated loss of more than 10,000 Louisiana jobs within a few months. The state risks losing more than 20,000 existing and potential new jobs in the next 12 to 18 months if the moratorium continues. With 1,400 workers, onshore and offshore, supporting each of the 33 deepwater drilling rigs affected by the moratorium as many as 46,200 jobs may be idled by the moratorium across the Gulf Coast.

BP Not Insulated

“The notion that the fund is there simply to insulate BP from lawsuits I think is very unfair.”

—Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator of the $20 billion fund set up to help compensate victims of BP Plc’s devastating Gulf of Mexico spill, said the $20 billion doesn’t represent a cap on liabilities from potential legal actions against the firm and doesn’t prevent BP from facing future lawsuits. Feinberg also oversaw the U.S. bank bailout fund known as TARP.

Taking the Bait

“Thanks to the Nationwide ‘Bait Vehicles,’ car thieves in Houston are in for a big surprise.”

—Harris County (Texas) Sheriff Garcia commented on the “Bait Vehicle” program supported by Nationwide Insurance, which has presented the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, and the Webster Police Department with a bait vehicle each to assist with their respective anti-theft/bait vehicle programs. Bait vehicles are standard, unmarked cars that are used by law enforcement to apprehend car thieves. The vehicles are outfitted with special equipment such as GPS tracking and remote-control immobilizers that allow officers to monitor the vehicle and seize suspects without engaging in a vehicle pursuit. Houston ranked fourth in the country for the number of stolen vehicles in 2009, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. According to the 2010 Annual Stolen Vehicle report issued by the NICB, the Houston Metropolitan area had 25,655 stolen vehicles in 2009, and has averaged 27,656 stolen vehicles per year in the past three years.

Topics Auto