Congressman Paul Tonko and 31 other members of Congress are calling on BP to direct funds marked for dividend payments to an escrow account that will be dedicated to cleaning up the Deepwater Horizon spill and compensating its victims. Earlier this week, BP’s Board of Directors met to debate whether to move forward with a scheduled $10 billion dividend payment to shareholders.

“BP needs to realize that the situation in the Gulf takes priority over paying dividends to shareholders,” said Congressman Tonko. “All of the company’s resources must be directed to capping the well, cleaning up the Gulf and compensating the victims of this environmental and economic disaster. I will stand with the American people in demanding assurances that BP will be able to cover all the claims related to this catastrophe. Instead of shorting up its image, BP needs to clean up our shores.”

In a letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward, the House members – led by Vermont Congressman Peter Welch, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) – urged BP to ensure it has the funds to pay the full costs of the devastating Gulf Oil spill by temporarily suspending its annual $10 billion dividend. Further, the group called on BP to establish an escrow account to cover cleanup and compensation costs – and to direct dividend payments to that account.

Last week, Congressman Tonko joined colleagues in writing to BP CEO Tony Hayward, asking the company to suspend dividend payments and its public relations campaign until it remedies the situation in the Gulf.

 You can read the letter by clicking below: