BP Ignores Order to Pay for Barrier Islands, Drops $50 Million on Oil Spill Ad

18 by Timothy Hurst on June 5, 2010

Louisiana officials are wondering why they have still yet to be paid for the massive barrier island projects now underway in the Gulf of Mexico, even as BP rolls-out a $50 million dollar ad campaign featuring CEO Tony Hayward touting the company's response to the oil spill and promising, "We will get this done. We will make this right."

The $360 million project calls for the construction of an 86-mile long network of protective sand berms to guard marshes and natural barrier islands against the impact of the oil spill.

Over a week ago, BP was ordered to pay for one of the six barrier island sections first proposed by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in early May. Earlier this week, the Obama administration ordered BP to pay for the remaining five sections -- a decision that BP said it supports. But according to several sources including Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser and Gov. Jindal, BP has yet to pay a single penny.

"Our people deserve to be fully compensated for their losses. Instead of BP shelling out $50 million on an ad campaign that promises to do good work in responding to this spill, BP should just focus on actually doing a good job and spend the $50 million on assistance to our people, our industries and our communities that are suffering as a result of this ongoing spill," Jindal said in a news release.

“We are moving forward with or without BP," said Gov. Jindal.

Although BP has granted $1 million to each of several parishes to meet the burden of those expenses, that money is running out, lawmakers and several parish officials have said. The company on Friday announced a financial reimbursement plan for cash-strapped parish governments based on monthly assessments. But the broad response reimbursement plan is considered separate from the barrier island plan.

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Photo: Projects Monitor

Category: Environment, Politics | Tags: bobby jindal, bp, louisiana, obama, oil spill

About the Author:

Timothy Hurst is the editor at Ecopolitology and Earth & Industry as well as the executive editor of the LiveOAK Media Network. He writes mostly about energy and environmental politics, clean tech, infrastructure and green business. When not reading, writing, or talking about environmental politics to anyone who will listen, Tim likes to ski, hike with his aging lab and get dirty in his Colorado veggie garden. Find Tim on Google+.

Follow Timothy Hurst on Twitter: @ecopolitologist

david hinson
i heard that they are willing to hear ideas to stop the oil who do i talk to about my idea?

Andrew
If you go to their homepage, BP.com, you’ll see the number on the right side.
Here it is:
Do you have ideas to help us?:
+1 281 366 5511

Barrett Anderson
It’s been a week since they were asked to pay. Where’s the story?
I hate it when the media fabricates stories when there aren’t enough evil corporations doing evil things.

Jordan
It’s been a week since they were asked to pay, and it took a total of two days to make the advertisements promising doing better. Whats better, actually doing work or making videos promising to do work?
That 50 mil could have went to much, much better things than some stupid ad campaign promising that our country will be taken care of. Get a clue, grip and otherwise base on reality. It’s not that hard to shuffle 50 million in liquid around when it’s making more than 20x that a day.(amounts are guesstimates, this company does make well over 50 million a day)

Barrett Anderson
They have enough to do both. Your logic makes absolutely no sense. It’s not like everyone in the company can or should be working on the spill problem. They can devote all *capable* resources to the spill while still doing other things. This story is just dumb. Has the ad even been paid for? Are you trying to say that BP will never pay up? What would BP be gaining by delaying? Your story means nothing without a motive.

Torgo3K
Net Income 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2009 $20,841,000.000
source: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=BP+Income+Statement&annual
How about this gem from ABC news?
“OSHA statistics show BP ran up 760 “egregious, willful” safety violations, while Sunoco and Conoco-Phillips each had eight, Citgo had two and Exxon had one comparable citation.”
source:http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bps-dismal-safety-record/story?id=10763042&page=1
Please stop making excuses for them.

Barrett Anderson
I’m pointing out an idiotic (non) story. The author has no idea why they haven’t paid the money yet. The point is that it’s been one week. Maybe they aren’t supposed to have paid it yet. Perhaps they need a more exact number first. Maybe it’s still processing. It’s been 1 week. Find something real to report. I just hope people realize that 90% of the stories they read on the internet are enhanced to some extent by the author in order to increase page-views, or to make the readers believe that what they’re reading is news-worthy.
Attack BP all you want; I don’t care. Just do it for things that merit an attack.

Torgo3K
$20b in net profits (just for 2009) and not one cent to the barrier islands?
“The $360 million project calls for the construction of an 86-mile long network of protective sand berms to guard marshes and natural barrier islands against the impact of the oil spill.”
Why wait a week, a day, an hour? Oil is hitting Florida already. (In)actions speak for themselves.

Barrett Anderson
They aren’t waiting for BP’s money to arrive and clear. They know it will. How do you know they didn’t immediately submit the payment for processing? Do you think there might be a possibility that it takes a few days for a payment of this size to go through?

Oh Plz
Gimme a break Barrett – stick to what you know – posing with a guitar in front of some graffiti – and quit being an apologist for a company with an awful safety record and no interest in anything beyond making a buck.
Besides, if these idiots really knew anything about PR they would have made a show of paying for those barrier islands ASAP, as the goodwill from that would have gotten them a heck of a lot more positive exposure than some stupid ad that will be ridiculed by everyone who sees it.
No – the truth is, BP doesn’t give a shit about you, me, or anyone that gets in their way, and they’ll happily leave the Gulf as polluted as they can get away with, and not pay out a dime if they don’t have to.
So WHY are you apologizing for them exactly?

Barrett Anderson
I’m not defending BP, I’m pointing out how dumb this story is. There’s a huge difference. I don’t know why they haven’t paid this particular thing yet, but neither does the author. Maybe they aren’t even expected to pay it yet, or maybe it takes a few days to process. I’m just sick of my news headlines being filled with made up stories. Find something valid to attack them for; I’m sure you won’t have trouble doing so.
Matt
Barrett is spot on with this one. This is a non-story.

Roundeye
What is wrong with you people. Do you think that money can be immediately applied, resources mobilized in seconds and problems solved at will? The shear logistics, not to mention the distribution channel of monies that must guard against misappropriated or corruptly applied channels and therefore subject to further mediate attacks.
The ads from BP are being criticized by Obama, Who better knows the effect of a public relations campaign than a ultrafunded politician? Someone who only has to gain a power position for his party and self. Dollars spent on this message is a “drop in the bucket” next to what Tony pledges to spend in remediation.
Think instead today about a company that employs thousands of Americans across the country. Your neighbors that are subject to be devastated by destroying one of the planets major employers.
Where are the reports of the hundreds of people brought forth from around the world that are occupying the BP facilities in Houston, working around the clock to brainstorm solutions not seen since Apollo 13.
Compare this to a Hurricane that was over in one day and where water, food and other lifesaving supplies were apparently impossible for the government to deliver in time to save countless lives.
We need to be cheerleaders for anyone who has this week, on nationwide TV, attempted to explain that they have taken on the task, beyond legal limits by the way, to do anything they can to do what is right.
Would you rather them to spend resources to prepare for litigation, fill out Federal paperwork, keep no-nothing self serving politicians placated or FIX THIS DAMN THING.
Were there gross mistakes made that caused this catastrophe? Obviously. Is this an Cinderella opportunity for some individuals to realize personal or party gain? DUH!
There will be years to sort out blame and restitution. For now, tell the finger pointers to take their lobbyist funded vacation to the unaffected Pacific coast and let the people with the most to loose do their job.

Torgo3K
“Do you think that money can be immediately applied, resources mobilized in seconds and problems solved at will? The shear logistics, not to mention the distribution channel of monies that must guard against misappropriated or corruptly applied channels and therefore subject to further mediate attacks.”
True, but I thought private corporations had the advantage of acting faster than government. So the Feds (ha) and Louisiana (ha-ha) are in the position of laying out resources first before it’s too late.

http://www.freebie-link.com/ Chris
Nobody likes BP anymore. Don’t make commercials when you have a job to do.
Andrea
Any BP vendor knows they don’t pay until the bill is at least 90 days old, all the Big Oil Companies work that way. Ends up making us little guys their banks! Totally unfair!
RBMike
Send them to jail. Its high time these F$&#s get some REAL punishment for their crimes. If a foreign country visited our shores and poisoned our waters, we would be at war. But when a company does it due to their negligence, they get a slap on the wrist? Give me a break. No justice.
http://opitslinkfest.blogspot.com/ opit
I’m torn. I do think advertising should concentrate on damage control by showing what they have done…and paid for. Sure it’s early..in one sense.
Then again – making BP or Obama the Whipping Boy for Cheney’s brilliant tax reductions on deepwater drilling just means that the cause is ignored – and there will be more of the same. You cannot put incentives in place for misbehaving and expect that they will not be ‘cashed in’.
http://www.therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=5163