Klobuchar: BP needs to pay for Minn. wildlife threatened by oil

Loon
A loon and its chick make their way across Pierce Pond near N. New Portland, Maine, in a file photo. Many Minnesota loons migrate to the Gulf of Mexico in the Winter months.
Pat Wellenbach/ASSOCIATED PRESS

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar met Friday with Twin Cities wildlife experts to talk about ways to try to protect migratory waterfowl from the gulf oil spill.

Klobuchar said BP needs to pay to protect and clean marshland that the spilled oil is threatening. The Minnesota Democrat says the company should also cover costs to develop alternative wetland areas for ducks, loons and other animals.

"Out of the $20 billion that can go directly not just to the fishermen, not to just to the hotels, it's going to also go to clean up and to help the wildlife in Minnesota," Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar said Ducks Unlimited just got a $2.5 million grant to develop alternative habitat. The money is coming through the federal government from BP.