BP chief executive Tony Hayward on Thursday frustrated members of Congress as he dodged questions about decisions the petroleum company made before the April 20 oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Barton tried in the afternoon to backpedal away from his claim at a morning hearing that  BP somehow was the victim of a White House “shakedown” when it agreed on Wednesday to set up a $20 billion fund to cover environmental and economic damages from the worst spill in U.S. history. The outlandish statement by the Texas Republican drew widespread condemnation. For his part, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of the Senate energy committee, applauded the Obama administration for convincing BP to set up the $20 billion fund. Sanders, who was among senators who signed a letter last week urging the creation of the fund, called it “an important step forward.” He added  that more still has to be done. “As part of the overall energy debate taking place in the Senate, I am working on legislation that would substantially transform our energy system - moving us away from fossil fuels and offshore drilling to energy efficiency and sustainable energy.  If we do that, we can create millions of new jobs. My strong hope is that as part of that process Vermont becomes the nation’s leader.”

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