BP sponsoring Durango's fireworks show

DURANGO — The fireworks display in the city of Durango will go on thanks to embattled oil giant BP.

The company stepped forward to pay for the annual July Fourth display back in December, five months before the start of its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The display typically costs $15,000 and city officials were poised to cancel it because of a budget crunch. But representatives of BP's office in southwestern Colorado surprised the council by announcing the company would pick up the tab.

Company spokesman Curtis Thomas says the company knows how important the celebration is to the community and didn't want it to be lost. He says BP hasn't asked for any advertising in exchange for its donation.

BP drills for natural gas in Colorado.