PRES WANTS JUSTICE FOR OIL SPILLERS

Obama vows justice if laws broken in oil spill
Matt Spetalnick (w/Alister Bull, Ross Colvin and Vicki Allen), June 1, 2010 (Reuters)

"President Barack Obama vowed….that if laws were broken in the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill, those responsible will be brought to justice…[and] said energy giant BP would be held accountable for financial losses from what he called the ‘greatest environmental disaster of its kind in our history.’"

[President Barack Obama:] "What is being threatened, what is being lost isn't just a source of income but a way of life… We have an obligation to investigate what went wrong and to determine what reforms are needed so that we never have the experience of a crisis like this again…If the laws on our books are insufficient to prevent such a spill, the laws must change. If oversight was inadequate to enforce these laws, oversight has to be reformed…If our laws were broken, leading to this death and destruction, my solemn pledge is that we will bring those responsible to justice on behalf of the victims of this catastrophe and the people of the Gulf region."



"U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made his first visit to the Gulf coast to view the damage ahead of what experts have said will be a criminal probe into the explosion and oil spill that could produce record fines.

"Obama spoke just days after BP's latest attempt to plug its blown-out seabed well failed, sparking fears oil could leak into the Gulf until August. The company is now planning a risky attempt to place a cap over the leak to funnel oil to the surface…Obama pledged to continue pursuing all efforts to plug the blown-out oil rig until relief wells are completed…"