BP announces tourism grants to four Gulf states - 17 May

BP is today announcing grants to each of the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to help their Governors promote tourism around the shores of the Gulf of Mexico over the coming months.

This is part of our ongoing commitment to help mitigate the economic impact of the oil spill.

BP is providing $25 million to Florida and $15 million each to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

"The Gulf Coast is our home too. We are doing everything we can to plug the leak, contain the spill offshore and protect the shoreline. With the deployment of the riser insertion tool yesterday, we made important progress in containing the spill, and that will further strengthen our ability to keep oil off the shore," said Tony Hayward, BP’s Group Chief Executive.

"We understand the Governors' concerns for the impact on the tourism industry, and are making funds available so that they can support the industry’s efforts to provide accurate information about the state of the beaches across the region."

These grants are in addition to the $25 million grants BP announced May 5 to help each of the four states accelerate the implementation of Area Contingency Plans. The grants announced today are for the Governors to distribute as they see fit to promote tourism.

The grants BP has made to the four states do not affect BP's response to the Deepwater Horizon incident or existing claims process, but are supplemental to them.

Further information:

Contacts

BP Press Office, London, +44 (0) 20 7496 4076, bppress@bp.com

BP Press Office, Houston, +1 281 366 4463, uspress@bp.com