Declarations – South Central

Counterfeit Airbags

“Anytime equipment that is critical to protecting drivers and passengers fails to operate properly, it is a serious safety concern.”

—U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said testing has revealed problems with counterfeit air bags used as replacement parts in vehicles involved in crashes — they might not inflate and could expel metal shrapnel during deployment in an accident. NHTSA believes the issue affects less than 0.1 percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet. The safety agency said it was not aware of any deaths or injuries related to the counterfeit airbags.

Actively Running Away

“I think BP is actively trying to run away from its full clean-up responsibilities.”

—U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, blasted oil giant BP PLC for what he called its attempt to run from its full cleanup responsibilities for the nation’s worst offshore spill, the 2010 disaster that left the Gulf Coast heavily oiled. Vitter is a member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, which oversees environmental issues. He and other Louisiana officials contend the Coast Guard has allowed BP prematurely to wind down cleanup. Some oil remains and Hurricane Isaac made that clear. About 200 miles of Louisiana’s coast remain under active cleanup.

Dodd-Frank Challenge

“The rule as written would impose enormous costs on U.S. firms and put them at a competitive disadvantage against government-owned oil giants not subject to the rule.”

—Chief Executive Officer Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute (API). API is one of four business groups that have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s new rule requiring oil, mining and gas companies to disclose payments they make to foreign governments. The lawsuit marks the latest in a string of legal challenges against regulators still struggling to finalize dozens of rules included in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.