Washington, D.C. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, who last week introduced H.R. 5355 to remove the economic damages cap for businesses liable for offshore oil rig spills, thanked Sen. Robert Menendez today for attempting to modify S. 3305 to mirror his call for an end to arbitrary restrictions on damage compensation. Menendez had originally introduced the bill to change the cap from $75 million to $10 billion.

“Sen. Menendez has been a leader in holding BP accountable from the start, and I thank him for joining the fight to end this arbitrary damage cap,” Grijalva said. “The chances for passage will be greater with a Senate counterpart to my House bill, and I look forward to working with Sen. Menendez to see this passed into law. When companies understand they will be held fully responsible for their actions, they will act more responsibly. Maybe with the House and Senate on the same page, the message will finally be received.”