New Orleans:
The US has tightened pressure on BP, setting a 72-hour deadline for the battered British energy titan to present updated plans for battling the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is leading the government response to the disaster, met with BP officials in Washington and ordered them to produce records of compensation claims filed in four stricken southern US states.
"BP, as a responsible party, is accountable for making the communities, individuals and business impacted by this spill whole again," Allen said on Wednesday.
"We need more detail and openness from BP to fulfill our oversight responsibilities to the American people and ensure that BP is meeting its commitment to restore the Gulf coast."
The stringent demands for greater transparency betrayed the growing mistrust between BP and President Barack Obama's administration more than seven weeks into the nation's worst ever environmental catastrophe.
Fuelled by 24/7 media coverage of oiled birds and tides of toxic crude washing up on US shores, American public anger is growing and Obama's administration is under increasing pressure to hold BP accountable.
Before meeting with BP officials, Allen sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward, asking him to explain how compensation packages to devastated local industries were being calculated and why they were taking so long to process.
Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is leading the government response to the disaster, met with BP officials in Washington and ordered them to produce records of compensation claims filed in four stricken southern US states.
"BP, as a responsible party, is accountable for making the communities, individuals and business impacted by this spill whole again," Allen said on Wednesday.
"We need more detail and openness from BP to fulfill our oversight responsibilities to the American people and ensure that BP is meeting its commitment to restore the Gulf coast."
The stringent demands for greater transparency betrayed the growing mistrust between BP and President Barack Obama's administration more than seven weeks into the nation's worst ever environmental catastrophe.
Fuelled by 24/7 media coverage of oiled birds and tides of toxic crude washing up on US shores, American public anger is growing and Obama's administration is under increasing pressure to hold BP accountable.
Before meeting with BP officials, Allen sent a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward, asking him to explain how compensation packages to devastated local industries were being calculated and why they were taking so long to process.
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