Pelosi:Backs Measure To Ban BP From Winning New Drilling Licenses

22nd Jul 2010 18:19

By Corey Boles Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) criticized BP PLC's (BP, BP.LN) safety record Thursday, saying it had been guilty of 807 "egregious and willful" safety violations over the last seven years. Democratic leadership is working to pull together legislation Thursday that lawmakers hope to approve next week before the House begins the August recess. The top House Democrat said she supported including language that would effectively ban the oil giant from winning new exploratory oil drilling licenses until it cleaned up its safety record. Speaking to Dow Jones Newswires, Pelosi pointed to a chart that indicated BP has committed 807 violations between 2004 and 2010. "There's something about their safety record that they are not paying enough attention to," Pelosi said. BP could not immediately be reached to comment. An aide to the speaker said that House Democrats would likely make a final decision on what measures would be included in the bill after meeting again later Thursday. The language to which Pelosi was referring would prevent oil companies with the worst safety records from winning new licenses until they improved their performance. In addition to that measure, the bill is likely to overhaul the regulation of the drilling industry and require companies to put in place much more onerous safety requirements aimed at preventing another spill like the one in the Gulf of Mexico. Pelosi's comments suggest that even though BP appears to have successfully capped the well, it can still expect to face legislative repercussions. The Senate is expected to unveil details of legislation later Thursday that would also include measures in reaction to the Gulf spill. Lawmakers in that chamber also hope to pass their bill before they depart for the August recess. -By Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6601; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 22, 2010 13:19 ET (17:19 GMT)