Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum isn't silently stewing as he was dissed by Attorney General Eric Holder in Louisiana today- he's publicly reacting to the omission.
Earlier today, Holder held a meeting meet with the attorneys general and U.S. Attorneys from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama today to talk about potential legal action against oil giant BP But McCollum knew nothing about the meeting until he was informed by a reporter yesterday,
Now, the AG and GOP gubernatorial favorite is responding, and he's not happy.
"U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to exclude the State of
Florida from today’s meeting of Attorneys General on the impacts of the oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico is concerning. The Administration has not
demonstrated clear competence in responding to this unprecedented
environmental disaster since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig on
April 20, 2010.
"I am disappointed the President and his Attorney General didn’t appear to
see the Deepwater Horizon incident as a severe threat to Florida’s economy
and environment, even though according to the latest tracking reports, the
oil spill could likely impact our coast within days. With more than 1,260
miles of coastline, Florida has more coastline than any other state in the
continental United States and our environment is a key driver in many of
the industries that comprise the foundation of our economy.
At the conclusion of his meeting, Holder announced that he is launching a criminal investigation into the BP spill.
This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2010.