Gansler
BALTIMORE (Legal Newsline) - Eleven Atlantic Coast state attorneys general have written letters to the companies involved with the BP oil spill.
The letters -- sent to BP, Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron -- ask the companies to make a few steps toward protecting the Atlantic Coast from any possible effects of the disaster, which began when the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and killed 11 people.
Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler is one of the attorneys general who signed the letters.
"As the lawyers for our respective states, we have closely followed the events following the Gulf oil spill in late April," Gansler said.
"Although the chance of oil reaching our coasts is small, especially with respect to those of the more northern states, we all need to be prepared for that possibility. We are taking the necessary steps now to ensure that the interests of Maryland's citizens, natural resources, and economy are not negatively impacted."
The other attorneys general who signed the letters are North Carolina's Roy Cooper, Delaware's Beau Biden, South Carolina's Henry McMaster, Georgia's Thurbert Baker, Rhode Island's Patrick Lynch, Maine's Janet Mills, Massachusetts' Martha Coakley, New Hampshire's Michael Delaney, Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal and New York's Andrew Cuomo.
The five Gulf Coast state attorneys attorney general have already formed a group to coordinate their efforts with BP.
"(L)ike our sister states in the Gulf region, we request that BP memorialize its public commitments and provide further assurances regarding payment of all legitimate claims stemming from this oil spill," the letter to BP says.
"This will allow us, as the lawyers for our respective states, to advise our states on how best to plan for the future."
The letters also ask the companies to assign an individual as a point of contact and to preserve all documents, data compilations or other relevant information.
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien by e-mail at jobrienwv@gmail.com.