Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today visited the Gulf Coast to learn more about BP's plans to plug its leaking well and to clean up the disastrous spill.

Bingaman, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, spent the day with Cabinet Secretaries Janet Napolitano and Ken Salazar and several fellow senators on Louisiana's coast getting briefed by industry and government officials.

"After spending time in the Gulf, it's clear to me that there is an aggressive effort underway to solve this problem.  I have hopes that the attempt later this week to stop the leak will be successful," Bingaman said.  "I am also glad to know that both Sandia and Los Alamos has some of their best and brightest people working with BP and the federal government."

Bingaman will chair a hearing in the Energy Committee tomorrow about BP's liability for clean up.