US lawmaker apologized to BP CEO Tony Howard for ‘$20 Billion Shakedown’

A senior US lawmaker apologized Wednesday to BP chief Tony Hayward for what he described as a White House “shakedown” that led the firm to create a 20-billion-dollar Gulf of Mexico oil spill fund.
“I’m ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday,” Republican Representative Joe Barton told Hayward as the embattled energy [...]

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill continues devastation

The oil spill map continues to show increasing devastation as the Gulf Oil Leak continues, pressing towards 60 days. The oil spill began around April 20, and there’s been no relief since.
“In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11 . . . I [...]

Oil spill hits Panhandle wallets before beaches

The leading edge of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was still several miles off the beaches of the Florida Panhandle on Thursday morning, but the slick was already hitting the area’s wallets.
“I can’t even watch the news anymore,” Panhandle fisherman Rick Lowe said near Fort Pickens in the Gulf Island National Seashore. He [...]