Influential Lawmaker Suggests Temporary Drilling Ban On BP

30th Jun 2010 16:36

By Tennille Tracy Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The former chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee said the U.S. Interior Department should prohibit BP PLC from operating in the outer continental shelf for the next five to seven years, following what he called "dangerous, lethal behavior." Rep. George Miller, a Democrat from California who now heads the House Education and Labor Committee, asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to consider a temporary prohibition on BP during a Wednesday hearing of the natural resources committee. "What I'm concerned about is the ethics of this company and how they have performed in the past," Miller said, adding, "At some point, the American people are entitled to a standard." Salazar deferred and passed the question to Michael Bromwich, director of the newly formed Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. "I don't have a firm conclusion, but certainly it should be considered a relevant factor," Bromwich said. -By Tennille Tracy, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6619; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 30, 2010 11:36 ET (15:36 GMT)