The Daily Glob

Crawfisher Drew Landry Sings to Oil Spill Commission

"The White House oil spill commission got some advice in an unexpected form this week: a stirring folk song from a Louisiana native who pushed those assembled to 'just do the right damn thing.'

During a public comment period toward the end of the commission's Monday meeting, Drew Landry, a native of Lafeyette, Louisiana and a Cajun singer-songwriter of some renown, told the commissioners that the army of contractors brought in to clean up the oil flooding the gulf are largely wasting the region's limited financial resources."

Jeff Muskus reports for the Huffington Post July 14, 2010.

"Oil Spill Commission Members Let BP Exec off Easy in Questioning Monday"

The co-chairmen of a presidential commission probing the BP oil spill did not ask any probing questions of the one BP exec to testify at the panel's first hearing Monday.

"House Passes First Major Gulf Oil Spill Legislation"

"The House on Thursday passed the first major bill related to the Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion, voting to allow families of those killed and injured workers to be compensated far more generously than current law allows. While families of the 11 killed and the 17 injured would benefit under the legislation, the bill also would apply to all companies operating on the high seas. The passed the bill on a voice vote, with no recorded vote. The bill now goes to the Senate." Larry Margasak reports for the Associated Press July 1, 2010.

Mark-up and 3 Hearings on Oil Spill in Congress Wednesday

Congress is already beginning work on a legislative response to the BP Gulf oil spill. Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30, the Senate Energy Committee will begin marking up a bill. There will also be three hearings -- which means plenty of news. The quickest way for the Glob to transmit this info is to paste in the release we got from Pew ... it's after the jump:

"Lawmakers Berate Oil Execs over Response Plans"

"Members of Congress chastised the largest oil companies Wednesday, saying they are no better prepared to avoid an environmental catastrophe than BP was when its well exploded, unleashing millions of barrels of crude." CBS/AP had the story June 15, 2010.

"Oil Executives Tell Committee That BP Spill Is an Aberration"

"The chief executives of the world’s largest oil  companies faced a Congressional panel of inquisitors on Tuesday and tried to cast the BP spill as a rare event that their companies were not likely to repeat. In their prepared remarks, the executives said that continued offshore exploration and drilling were essential to American oil and gas supplies and to the health of their industry."

John M. Broder reports for the New York Times June 15, 2010.

House Energy Hearing on BP Spill Live Now on C-SPAN 3

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing is grilling the CEOs of ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP America, and Shell Oil in a hearing that started at 9:30 ET. It is viewable on C-SPAN 3. Printed statements and background materials will be available on the Committee site.

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