"The coverage of BP's Deepwater Horizon spill is teaching the typically secretive oil industry something about life in the limelight. Now, the company has to account for every cent it spends.
On August 16, the Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to BP demanding that the company report how much money it had spent on advertising since the spill on April 20. Florida Representative Kathy Castor prompted the letter -- she's been lobbying hard for BP to pay the difference for any spill-related decline in Florida tourism. Monday was the deadline for BP (BP) to come back with the numbers. So far, the committee hasn't heard from the oil giant.
The British newspaper Telegraph reported that BP has spent at least $1 million per week on advertising, although there's no official number yet and sources Fortune spoke with didn't know where the figure could've come from. It's been over 18 weeks since the accident. If that estimate is right, members of Congress will certainly make the point that the $18 million could have been better spent on recovery in the gulf."
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