BP’s US chief faces accusations in Congress that the energy giant caused the worst oil spill in US history with a calculated strategy to cut costs.
The more it says it can cope with whatever penalties are imposed on it, the more US politicians are entitled to ask whether they are high enough.
Britain stuck up for BP on Friday against American criticism over the oil spill, while the company ramped up efforts to siphon more crude oil.
The US has tightened pressure on BP, setting a 72-hour deadline for the company to present updated plans for battling the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
US officials on Wednesday ordered BP to pay for five more sand barriers in the Mississippi Delta to keep oil from reaching Louisiana’s wetlands.