"BP is paying all the bills right now," Darryl Willis, the vice president of resources for BP America, said to the U.S. Senate. By "paying all the bills," Willis meant that the corporate giant is covering all costs and will work out later which of its drilling partners might also share some of the responsibility.


"We are focused on making sure that the costs associated with this cleanup and spill in the Gulf of Mexico are paid and that the people who have been hurt along the Gulf Coast are compensated for their losses and any federal costs that are associated with the cleanup are paid back to the American people."


Darryl Willis' face is unfortunately not one that you would expect to see representing the largess of corporate America. Willis, a black man, has been put in charge of allocating all resources to Gulf Coast residents who've been affected by the recent oil spill in the Gulf. His face is expected by BP to be a source of comfort to many of the people in the gulf who happen to be black and brown. He also happens to have a face you can trust, which is why he has been splattered all over your television sets and throughout the halls of Congress.


So far, the Coast Guard has billed BP and some of its partners $71 million for the cleanup and another bill is coming, according to Sen.Tom Carper (D-Del.), who also serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management. BP has also paid $90 million in individual claims and another $16 million in business claims. The total government cost of the cleanup has been $217 million, according to Craig Bennett, director of the National Pollution Fund.



I am not yet sure what to think about Willis. I won't say if I trust him or not, but I can certainly say that his face was put on this disaster for a reason. Being a black man with a Louisiana accent helps, in addition to being an American face on a British company.



Americans are irritated with BP for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that a foreign company has come to their shores and ruined their coastline with irresponsible behavior. BP was responsible for an extraordinary number of safety violations before the spill took place, so we know that the company is not above engaging in ruthless and deceptive behavior in order to maximize shareholder wealth.



Make no mistake about it, BP's greatest and most pressing concern is money. It won't pay a single claim if is not forced to, likely because the most important job of a company's managers is to take care of its shareholders. As I explained on Rev. Al Sharpton Show yesterday, BP is going to do whatever it can to stop the economic bleeding that has occurred during this crisis.


While a great deal of money has been spent on the spill thus far, the larger problem for the company is restoring confidence. Since the spill began, BP has lost more than $90 billion in corporate value and continues to lose more every day.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.