THEODORE, Ala. — Kicking off a week of high- stakes maneuvering around an oil slick threatening to bog down his presidency, Barack Obama promised Monday that “things are going to return to normal” along the stricken Gulf Coast.
And the White House said Monday it had wrested an apparent agreement from BP to set up an independent, multibillion-dollar compensation fund for people and businesses suffering from the spill’s effects.
A day before Obama addresses the nation in a 6 p.m. MDT speech from the Oval Office, White House spokesman Bill Burton said the administration and BP were “working out the particulars” on a fund, such as the amount to be placed in an escrow account and how it would be administered.
The account would be run by an independent third-party entity, as Obama has demanded, Burton said. And it would run into “the billions of dollars,” although he wouldn’t give a specific amount.
“We’re confident that this is a critical way in which we’re going to be able to help individuals and businesses in the gulf area become whole again,” Burton said.
BP’s board was meeting Monday in London. The company’s $10.5 billion annual dividend has become a point of contention.
Critics in the United States say BP should not pay out profits to stockholders when huge cleanup costs still loom and when fishermen, oil workers and small-business owners say they are having trouble getting compensation from the company. Although BP has billions of dollars in cash flow that presumably can cover the costs, there is concern about its future.
Upbeat message
On the coast, Obama struck an optimistic tone Monday. He declared gulf seafood safe to eat and said his administration is redoubling inspections and monitoring to make sure it stays that way.
He declared, “I am confident that we’re going to be able to leave the Gulf Coast in better shape than it was before.”
That pledge was reminiscent of former President George W. Bush’s promise to rebuild the region “even better and stronger” than before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Bush could not make good on that promise, and Obama did not spell out how he would fulfill his.
With Obama hoping to convince a frightened Gulf Coast and a skeptical nation that he is in command, he is marshaling the tools at a president’s disposal: a two-day visit via Air Force One, helicopter and boat, the prime-time speech tonight and a face-to-face White House showdown Wednesday with the executives of the oil company that leased the rig that exploded April 20 and led to the leak of millions of gallons of coast-devastating crude.
From an enormous waterside staging facility in Theodore, Ala., one of 17 where cleanup crews ready themselves and equipment to attack the spill, Obama mixed optimism about the ultimate result with warnings that the recovery could take a while.
“I can’t promise folks here in Theodore or across the Gulf Coast that the oil will be cleaned up overnight. It will not be,” he said, after encouraging hard-hatted workers as they hosed off and repaired oil- blocking booms. “It’s going to be painful for a lot of folks.”
Vouching for seafood
One focus of Obama’s remarks was the region’s seafood, which faces growing doubts around the country but which Obama pronounced safe. He noted he had some for lunch — including mini crab cakes, fried shrimp and shrimp-salad sandwiches — and found it “delicious.”
To further allay fears, the president announced a “comprehensive, coordinated and multiagency initiative” to protect the seafood industry that is the pride and economic engine of the region.
The effort is to include increased facility inspections and monitoring of fish caught just outside the contaminated zone.
“This is important for consumers who need to know that their food is safe, but it’s also important for the fishermen and processors who need to be able to sell their products with confidence,” Obama said. “So let me be clear: Seafood from the gulf today is safe to eat, but we need to make sure that it stays that way.”
The administration released few details. A statement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Food and Drug Administration detailed current efforts to close waters and inspect seafood but did not describe new initiatives.
The New York Times contributed to this report.
