BP Drilling Ban Would Cost U.S. Jobs, Company Says

BP Plc objected to legislation that would bar the oil company from operating new drilling leases in U.S. waters, saying it could trigger job losses and threaten the nation’s energy security.

Commenting for the first time on Congress’s response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, BP said in letter to House leaders that the ban in a bill to be taken up tomorrow may have a “drastic impact” on a company that is the largest producer in the deep waters of the Gulf.