I want a Bernie Sanders clone to run for Senate in my state. Here he is, as always, giving the ones who aren't doing their jobs hell. Anyone that thinks we should trust BP to make good on paying for this spill is either naive or a corporate shill.
From Sen. Sanders' site -- The 'Top Kill':
BP went ahead on Wednesday afternoon with its effort to plug the mile-deep gusher of oil that has been streaming into the Gulf of Mexico for more than a month. The procedure, known as a top kill, began at 1 p.m., the company said. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of both the Senate energy and environment committees, has insisted that BP pay for the economic damage the spill has caused on the Gulf Coast – in addition to the cleanup costs. At a hearing Tuesday, Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli told a Senate energy committee that BP has pledged to pay claims even if they exceed the $75-million cap. The answer outraged Sanders, The (Baton Rouge, La.) Advocate reported. "You may be the last person in America who trusts or believes what BP says," Sanders lectured Perrelli, according to The CBS Evening News.
To watch the CBS News report, click here.
From CBS News Big Oil's "Cozy Relationship" with Inspectors:
With possibly months to go before the gusher is plugged, there's more wrangling over liability. On Capitol Hill, outrage was directed at the rig's owner, Transocean. It plans to pay out a billion dollars in dividends to shareholders.
"They want to give a billion dollars back to their shareholders at a time when I think there might be very substantial liability questions," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.
"For a company that said it did nothing wrong, this company is working pretty hard to insulate itself from being held responsible," said Rep. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
Assistant Attorney General Pirelli reminded Congress that BP has promised to pay all the bills.
"You may be the last person in America who trust or believe what BP says," responded Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt."
The Obama administration has already announced plans to fix MMS. The misconduct happened before 2009. But now the Inspector General will look into conduct since 2009.
