Minority Business Leader Blasts BP’s ‘Failed Response’ to Gulf Area Workers

July 9, 2010
The president of the National Black Chamber of Commerce expressed his outrage and concern over reports that hundreds of Gulf Coast fishermen have not received their scheduled hardship payments.

“I’m deeply troubled that BP is not fulfilling its promise to these fishermen and their families,” Harry Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, said. “When BP made this mess, they promised the thousands of people who rely on the gulf for their livelihood that they would make them whole; to-date, they’ve failed miserably. They aren’t stopping the spill. They aren’t cleaning up the mess. And now they’re not taking care of the families that they've harmed. America and the Gulf Coast residents need more than empty promises and broken dreams. We need BP to follow through on their commitments.”

Alford was responding to news reports that workers from the Gulf region unexpectedly were notified that BP was changing its payment schedule to individuals who have been caused severe hardship due to BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Alford is in Houston today talking to minority business owners about the disaster’s impact on their businesses and getting a firsthand account of BP’s response efforts and the long road to recovery for the region.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

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