BP rejects Texas request for $25 mln clean-up grant

NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - Oil giant BP Plc (BP.L) rejected a request from Texas for a $25 million advance grant to clean up state shorelines affected by the Gulf oil spill, according to a letter given to Reuters on Thursday.

BP refused an early July request from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott for the $25 million "block grant," similar to those the company has provided to all the other Gulf Coast states affected by the spill, the letter from BP to Abbott showed.

In the letter, BP pledged it would pay for any costs incurred by Texas to clean up from the spill. It also pledged to contribute $5 million to the Texas Coastal Protection Fund, which is earmarked for oil spill responses.

While Texas shores have been affected by some tar balls linked to BP's Gulf of Mexico spill, damage to the state's shorelines has so far been small.

(Reporting by Joshua Schneyer)