Democrats are hoping to broadcast Rep. Joe Barton's (R-Texas) BP gaffe far and wide, but they need some cash to do it.

The Democratic National Committee sent out a fundraising pitch on Friday asking supporters to contribute to the cause.

"We're whipping together an ad as fast as possible to make sure voters know exactly whose side Barton and the GOP are on and to demand they stop apologizing to big oil, but we need your help to get it on the air," DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse wrote.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was even quicker to use Barton's apology in a fundraising pitch, blasting out an e-mail on Thursday just hours after the Texas Republican's comments.

Barton on Thursday apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the White House's pressure on the company to create a $20 billion, independently managed fund for damage claims from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Barton called it a "shakedown" by the Obama administration, but hours later retracted the comment and the apology under heavy pressure from House GOP leaders.

Cross-posted to the Blog Briefing Room.

BP Board Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said Hayward will no longer oversee the company's day-to-day response to the spill.

Sponsors of a bipartisan Senate climate bill ramped up their promotion of the plan Friday with a Washington Post op-ed that calls it a manageable alternative to more sprawling proposals.

Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are seeking political momentum ahead of crucial meetings in coming days on Senate energy legislation.

President Barack Obama is hosting a number of senators — including Cantwell and Collins — at the White House next week, and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that he’s planning another Democratic Caucus meeting on energy next week as well.

The vast amount of methane in the Gulf of Mexico is threatening marine life

While the focus in the Gulf of Mexico disaster is on the millions of gallons of oil pouring from BP’s ruptured well, gas is also a major threat.

“It is an overlooked danger in oil spill crisis: The crude gushing from the well contains vast amounts of natural gas that could pose a serious threat to the Gulf of Mexico's fragile ecosystem,” the Associated Press reports.

“The oil emanating from the seafloor contains about 40 percent methane, compared with about 5 percent found in typical oil deposits, said John Kessler, a Texas A&M University oceanographer who is studying the impact of methane from the spill.”

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Thursday said the Senate should abandon efforts – at least for now – to pass a sweeping climate change bill and also urged adoption of his plan that would block some EPA greenhouse gas regulations for two years.

“The Senate should be focusing on the immediate issues before us – to suspend EPA action on greenhouse gas emissions, push clean coal technologies, and tackle the Gulf oil spill,” he said in a prepared statement Thursday afternoon.

“We need to set aside controversial and more far-reaching climate proposals and work right now on energy legislation that protects our economy, protects West Virginia and improves our environment,” added Rockefeller, an ally of the his home state’s coal industry.

The two top-ranking GOP leaders threatened to strip Barton of his perch as ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday, according to a leadership aide.

Boehner and Cantor told Barton at an early afternoon meeting to "apologize, immediately. Or you will lose your position, immediately," the GOP leadership aide explained to The Hill.

Further, Barton's office ran his official "apology" by Boehner's office for approval.

The three top members of the House GOP leadership called a top ranking member's apology to BP "wrong."

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) condemned remarks earlier today by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) in which he apologized to BP for the treatment the company has faced by the government.

"The oil spill in the Gulf is this nation’s largest natural disaster and stopping the leak and cleaning up the region is our top priority.  Congressman Barton’s statements this morning were wrong," the three said in a joint statement. "BP itself has acknowledged that responsibility for the economic damages lies with them and has offered an initial pledge of $20 billion dollars for that purpose."

Democrats are already seizing on Rep. Joe Barton's (R-Texas) apology to BP to raise funds from supporters.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) blasted out a fundraising e-mail Thursday afternoon pointing to Barton's comments as evidence that the GOP is the party of Big Oil.

"This isn't from some backbencher. Republicans want to put Congressman Barton in charge of the entire Energy and Commerce committee!" DCCC Executive Director Jon Vogel wrote.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) apologized Thursday for what he said was a misconstrued apology he made Thursday morning for the way the U.S. has treated BP.

Barton said he believed BP should be held accountable for the effects of an oil spill from the pipeline leased by the company after he accused the Obama administration of a "shakedown" by forcing BP to set up a $20 billion fund to pay out damages to victims of the spill.

"I want the record to be absolutely clear that I think BP is responsible for this accident, should be held responsible and should in every way do everything possible to make good on the consequences that have resulted from this action," Barton said following his round of questioning of BP CEO Tony Hayward this afternoon.