June 17 (Bloomberg) -- BP Plc Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward, making his first appearance before Congress to face questions about the worst U.S. oil spill, will say multiple breakdowns led to the explosion at a Gulf of Mexico well.
“This is a complex accident, caused by an unprecedented combination of failures,” Hayward says in testimony prepared for a hearing today of a House Energy Committee panel. “A number of companies are involved, including BP, and it is simply too early to understand the cause.”
Hayward, 53, who will tell the lawmakers he is “deeply sorry” about the spill, was warned through a list of advance questions to expect a rough reception from lawmakers. Congress has a tradition of summoning CEOs of companies, from banks to automakers, for public tongue-lashings, said former Democratic Representative Gerry Sikorski of Minnesota.
“You don’t succeed in these hearings, you survive,” said Sikorski, now a partner in Washington for Holland and Knight LLP who advises clients facing congressional investigations.
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