Dudley to head BP gulf response group

VENICE, D.C., June 23 (UPI) -- BP appointed Bob Dudley president and chief executive officer of its Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, the British company said Wednesday.

The new organization will manage all aspects of the response to the disastrous Transocean Deepwater Horizon explosion April 20 and the subsequent unchecked leaking of oil and gas into the gulf, the company said on its Web site.

Dudley will report to Tony Hayward, BP's group chief executive.

The Gulf Coast Restoration Organization will continue executing cleanup and remediation activities; coordinate with federal, state and local officials; keep the public informed of BP's response; implement the $20 billion escrow account for claims; and continue to evaluate the spill's impact on the environment, officials said.

"I look forward to engaging immediately with the (federal government) and with stakeholders across the region," Dudley said. "In the near term, my focus will be on listening to stakeholders so we can address concerns and remove obstacles that get in the way of our effectiveness. And we'll build an organization that over the longer term fulfills BP's commitments to the restore the livelihoods and the environment of the Gulf Coast."

Hayward said the cleanup response "continues to be BP's highest priority."

"Our commitment to the gulf states is for the long-term," he said. "And that requires a more permanent sustainable organization to see it through."