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June 16, 2010

Oil Execs, Lawmakers Clash at House Hearing
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Obama is scheduled to meet with top BP executives today at the White
House. Ahead of the meeting, BP America President Lamar Mc Kay testified
before the House Energy and Commerce Committee along with the CEOs of
Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Conoco Phillips and Shell. Democratic Congress
member Ed Markey of Massachusetts prodded Mc Kay to apologize for BP’s
faulty reporting of the spill size.

Rep. Ed Markey: "Please, one final chance: apologize for getting that
number wrong."

Lamar Mc Kay: "We are sorry for everything the Gulf Coast is going
through. We are sorry for that and the spill."

In one of several heated moments, Republican Congress member Cliff
Stearns of Florida told Mc Kay he should resign.

Rep. Cliff Stearns: "Do you know what, Mr. Mc Kay, 'The buck stops here'
means? You know, that you take full responsibility? Now, Mr. Markey had
asked you for an apology. I really think, in light of the performance of
you as a CEO and what has occurred, I really think you should be
resigning as chairman of BP America. I mean, it’s really outrageous that
you sit here and tell us that you’re going to punt to the Unified
Command, when we’ve had eleven people killed, we’ve had a huge
environmental damage, and you’re still sitting here as a CEO of BP?"



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