Florida Republican Blasts Comments Made By New BP CEO

Recently named BP CEO Bob Dudley’s assertion last month that the national media “overreacted” to the BP oil spill was “not helpful” to recovery efforts in the Gulf region, said Republican Congressman Vern Buchanan (Fla.) on Tuesday.

Dudley told the Houston Chronicle back in September that the media’s rush to judgment on the size and impact of the spill made him “uncomfortable.”

“I got distinctly uncomfortable when I saw experts and drawings and graphics of oil that would project itself around Florida to Key West to Bermuda to England. The clear overreaction that would cause, without a whole lot of accountability, was an interesting thing to observe.”

Dudley added that while members of both the traditional and non-traditional news media are free to report information, they should “have some wisdom and judgment about the kind of things that are said.”

Buchanan, however, repudiated the notion that BP’s role in the disaster was unfairly mischaracterized.

“BP’s role in this debacle is unquestioned, and as we prepare for a long-term Gulf Coast recovery, hearing these kinds of comments is not helpful to the difficult but essential recovery effort ahead,” he said. “Just as disturbingly, it does not bode well for this company’s seriousness in taking the steps necessary to avoid future disasters.”

Dudley made headlines last week when he turned down a request by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to testify on Capitol Hill next month about the spill.