Eric Kleefeld June 17, 2010, 9:02 AM

BP’s Hayward To Tell Congress He Is ‘Personally Devastated’ By Disaster
BP CEO Tony Hayward is set to testify today before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on oversight and investigations. According to prepared remarks, Hayward will say that he is “personally devastated, and that the explosion and sinking of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig, and the resulting underwater oil gusher “never should have happened - and I am deeply sorry that they did.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 10 a.m. ET, the economic briefing at 10:30 a.m. ET, and a briefing at 11 a.m. ET on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He will meet at 11:35 p.m. ET with the Veterans of Foreign War’s New Commander in Chief Tommy Tradewell. He will meet at 2:25 p.m. ET with Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. He will meet at 2:45 p.m. ET with senior advisers. He will meet at 3:15 p.m. ET with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, at 3:45 p.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and at 4:30 p.m. ET with Marine Corps Commandant Nominee General James Amos.

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will meet in the morning with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, at the Naval Observatory. Afterwards, he will attend PResident Obama’s morning briefings listed above. He will meet with senior advisers in the afternoon. Later, he will meet with President Obama and Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner at 3:15 p.m. ET, and with Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at 3:45 p.m. ET. He will hold a conference call at 5:15 p.m. ET, with governors from across the country, to discuss stimulus implementation.

Congress Members Overseeing Firms Involved In Gulf Spill Held Oil, Gas Stock
The Washington Post reports: “Nearly 30 members of the congressional committees overseeing oil and gas companies held personal assets in the industry totaling $9 million to $14.5 million late last year. That included at least $400,000 in the three companies at the heart of the Gulf of Mexico oil-drilling disaster, according to a Washington Post analysis of financial disclosure forms released Wednesday. Among the members who owned the most oil industry stocks were Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who had nearly $100,000 invested in BP, and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who held as much as $650,000 in ConocoPhillips shares.”

Climate Bill Still in Deep Freeze
Roll Call reports: “President Barack Obama is trying to turn the oil crisis into a game-changer for comprehensive climate legislation, but with the players and their positions largely the same, few believe he will reach the goal line this year…Moderates in both parties said that an energy bill of some sort was a real possibility, but a cap on carbon emissions or a new carbon tax probably won’t be in the mix.”

Retiring House Dems Aren’t Paying Their Party Dues
The Hill reports: “House Democratic leaders want a going-away present from the members who are leaving Congress next year — their committee dues. A dozen retiring House Democrats have racked up almost $2 million in outstanding balances with the party’s campaign committee while, in some cases, maintaining flush war chests. Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), for instance, has only paid the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) $100,000 of the $500,000 he owes in dues, according to documents obtained by The Hill.”

Rasmussen: ‘We Don’t Care About Being Part Of The Club’
The Washington Post profiles pollster Scott Rasmussen, who has gained a reputation for Republican-friendly polls. “If I really believed for a moment that if we played by the rules of AAPOR [American Association for Public Opinion Research] or somebody else they would embrace us as part of the club, we would probably do that,” said Rasmussen. “But, number one, we don’t care about being part of the club.”

2010 elections, Barack Obama, Cap-and-Trade, Climate Change, David Obey, Gulf Coast Oil Spill, House '10, Joe Biden, Oil Spill, Rasmussen, Roundup