Put BP on the hook!

Dear Susan,

Through risk-taking and negligence, BP has created an environmental and economic catastrophe in the Gulf Coast in the form of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

And by the time all is said and done, the pure economic cost of the disaster will likely be many billion dollars.

That's why I proudly signed on to a letter with 54 of my Democratic Senate colleagues Monday, calling on BP CEO Tony Hayward to establish a special $20 billion account -- to be administered by an independent trustee -- for cleanup and economic recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, I'm asking you to join us.

Please add your name as a citizen co-signer of our letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward: Urge BP to fund a $20 billion special account for Gulf cleanup and recovery efforts!

Let me be clear: This $20 billion fund would not limit BP's liability. Instead, it would be just the first down payment on the total cleanup and recovery costs from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

As we learned in the wake of the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, companies often say all the right things at the time -- only to walk away and leave taxpayers holding the bag for years.

I'm not going to let that happen here.

By establishing this $20 billion special account now, managed by an independent trustee, we can make sure that BP won't be able to delay payments or attempt to avoid responsibility for the damage it's caused -- not now, not five years from now, not ever.

Please add your name as a citizen co-signer of our letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward: Urge BP to fund a $20 billion special account for Gulf cleanup and recovery efforts!

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has quickly become one of the greatest environmental disasters in history -- and I want to be sure that nothing like it happens again.

That's why I've joined my Senate colleagues from Washington, Oregon, and California in calling for a permanent ban on oil drilling off the West Coast. It's also why I'm pushing to eliminate the $75 million cap on oil company liabilities, so we remove incentives for excessive risk-taking and make sure BP pays for what it has done.

As for the Gulf of Mexico, we must ensure that BP takes full responsibility for the corners they cut and the damages they've caused. And having earned more than $6 billion in profits last quarter alone, not only can BP afford to do it, the rest of us can't afford it if they don't.

Please join our call today -- and urge BP to fund this initial $20 billion special account for Gulf cleanup and recovery.

Thank you,

Patty Murray
U.S. Senator