BP CEO Dudley Rejects Invitation to Testify Before Congress
BP CEO Robert Dudley declined an invitation to testify before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming on the oil spill, arguing that he must instead focus on his new role at the company.
In an Oct. 22 letter to committee Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Dudley said:
“„As I am sure you can imagine, I have an enormous amount of work to do transitioning into this role and am very focused on ensuring the right decisions are made for the future of the company and the safety of our workforce. Therefore, I regret that I must decline your invitation at this time, but I look forward to sharing our progress with you on these important changes once they have been further developed and implemented.
Markey criticized Dudley’s decision in a statement today:
“„If BP is truly committed to repairing their image and standing with the American people and government officials, Mr. Dudley can start by appearing before Congress.
Dudley made headlines today when he blamed the media and other “observers” for a “rush to judgment” about the impacts of the spill. “The public fear was everywhere,” he said.
