BILOXI, Miss. -- BP's incoming CEO says it's time to scale back the massive effort to clean up the oil spill, but adds that the commitment to make things right is the same as ever.

Bob Dudley was in Biloxi, Miss., on Friday to announce that former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt will help BP with the recovery.

Dudley says it's not too soon to scale back the cleanup, and on beaches where there is no oil there's no need for crews in hazmat suits.

He adds, however, that there is no pullback in BP's commitment to clean up the spill.

Dudley rejects the idea that the environmental effects of the spill have been overblown. He says that anyone who thinks it wasn't a catastrophe must be far away from it.