August 24, 2010

            Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy have urged BP Oil to reimburse the Meriden Police Department for additional costs incurred because one of their police officers has been called to active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard as a direct result of the Deepwater Horizon incident.

            The City of Meriden is seeking reimbursement for the costs of differential pay and overtime for one of their police officers. The city is contractually obligated to pay officers the difference between their police salary and the Coast Guard stipend. The Meriden officer’s active duty status is a direct result of the Coast Guard’s increased duties regarding the Deepwater Horizon explosion and massive oil leak.

            In a joint letter to the BP Oil Field Service Center, Blumenthal and Murphy said the city’s claim is clearly reimbursable under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the U.S. Coast Guard guidelines. Criteria for claim reimbursements include costs associated with removal and clean up and cost of increased public services.

            “No town, city or state should bear the burden -- even a dime -- of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster,” Blumenthal said. “This is the worst possible economic time for our towns and cities to incur any unnecessary costs, particularly resulting from BP’s avoidable catastrophe.”

            Murphy said, “BP created this mess, and should pay every cent owed for the cleanup and the personnel doing the dirty work. The Attorney General and I will work together to see that Meriden is made whole for their small but important financial sacrifice in these tough economic times.”

            Meriden’s pending claim, submitted on July 13, covers the period of June 28 through July 10 for pay differential payments of $992.52 and overtime replacement costs of $781.76. These are only preliminary costs, as the officer remains on active duty -- resulting in continuing costs incurred by the city. However, BP is reviewing filings on a periodic basis. The city may seek additional claims going forward.