Remarks by
President Barack Obama
After Briefing on Gulf Oil Spill Update

Louis Armstrong International Airport, New Orleans, Louisiana

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

June 04, 2010

Remarks by the President After Briefing on Gulf Oil Spill Update

Louis Armstrong International Airport, New Orleans, Louisiana

2:29 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to thank everybody who participated in this meeting. Most of the folks here were in the meeting that we had last week. One of the encouraging signs is that, at least with respect to Louisiana, it seems that we made some progress.

The most obvious area of progress was, coming out of the meeting last week, trying to bridge what seemed to be differences with respect to the berm, the barrier islands that Governor Jindal had proposed, and we now have that authority and dredging is beginning. And now we want to make sure that BP is paying up, but it seems like we're making progress on that front.

I know that a lot of the press may be curious about what’s happening in terms of the attempts to cap the well. I don't want to go into the technical details here. I'd prefer Thad to give an update when he has had a chance to talk directly with command and control about what’s happening there. But it does appear that the cap, at least for now, is holding; that some hydrocarbons are being sent up to the surface; and that they are still ratcheting up the amount of oil and gas that's being extracted -- they’re doing it carefully so that they don't dislodge or disrupt the cap in some fashion.

We will know more over the next 24 to 48 hours. And it is way too early to be optimistic. But we're just going to keep on monitoring it, and Thad will give you a more thorough briefing when he knows more.

We spent a lot of time here just talking about the logistics of the response on the shore as oil begins to come in. And everybody here has particular concerns because we've got limited resources. We're trying to get more boom, for example, into the places that are needed. We deployed initially a lot of boom here in Louisiana. That meant that some in Alabama wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Governor Riley has been appropriately concerned -- that's a mild way of putting it -- about what’s being done with respect to Alabama plans. And what I told him was, is that Thad Allen will be meeting with him individually with respect to the Alabama plan and if he’s not satisfied with the answers that are given over the course of this weekend, then he’s going to call me and we're going to meet and sort this out.

Here in Louisiana, where the oil has hit most rapidly, there are still areas where, for example, the mayor, here, was talking to fishermen; they want to try to build up some barriers to estuaries and areas that are particularly vulnerable. Thad Allen is going to be following up with each of the parish presidents in terms of figuring out what’s going on.

One of the things that we've done to make sure that organizationally things are working the way they should is we now have a Coast Guard official who is stationed with each parish president and we actually have a BP representative who is stationed with each parish president, so that they have direct access to making sure that any information, any problems that they’ve got, are immediately being shot up to Thad and he can respond quickly. And we want to set that up not just in Louisiana, but in Alabama as well as in Florida -- we want county equivalents to have that same kind of representation and rapid response.

We also talked about claims. And this is an area where I think everybody has a lot of concern. My understanding is, is that BP has contracted for $50 million worth of TV advertising to manage their image during the course of this disaster. In addition, there are reports that BP will be paying $10.5 billion -- that's billion with a B -- in dividend payments this quarter.

Now, I don't have a problem with BP fulfilling its legal obligations. But I want BP to be very clear, they’ve got moral and legal obligations here in the Gulf for the damage that has been done. And what I don't want to hear is, when they’re spending that kind of money on their shareholders and spending that kind of money on TV advertising, that they’re nickel-and-diming fishermen or small businesses here in the Gulf who are having a hard time.

We’ve assigned federal folks to look over BP’s shoulder and to work with state and local officials to make sure that claims are being processed quickly, fairly, and that BP is not lawyering up, essentially, when it comes to these claims.

They say they want to make it right. That’s part of their advertising campaign. Well, we want them to make it right. And what that means is that if a fisherman got a $5,000 check, and the next time he goes in, because it’s a new month, suddenly BP is saying, well, we need some documentation and this may take six months to process, or 60 days to process -- or 30 days to process, for that matter -- that fisherman, with all his money tied up in that boat, just may not be able to hang on for another 30 days. He may lose his boat and his livelihood.

We heard from one of the parish presidents about a shrimp processing plant. They’ve got a bunch of shrimp on ice, so they’re selling inventory, but they’re not bringing any new product in. And BP says to them, well, you know what, your sales don't seem to have declined. And they try to explain, yes, but we’ve had to lay off all our workers because we’re not bringing any new shrimp in and our cupboards are going to be bare in the next several weeks -- BP has got to be able to anticipate that.

So the key point I’m making here is, this has been a disaster for this region and people are understandably frightened and concerned about what the next few months and the new few years may hold. I am absolutely confident about the resilience of this area long term, but if we can make sure that BP is doing the right thing on the front end, it’s going to make it an awful lot easier for us to fully recover on the back end. And by the way, it may end up being cheaper for BP.

And so Thad, who’s interacting with BP on a regular basis, I think is emphasizing this. My administration is emphasizing it. I want them to hear directly from me and I want the public to hear from me -- they need to make sure that they are following through on these claims in a expeditious, fair way. And if they’re not, then we are going to stay on them about it.

We’ve already submitted one bill and they haven’t said that they’re not paying it, so I don’t want to anticipate problems. But we are already starting to see at the local level folks experiencing problems. And we don’t want those problems to build up -- we want to nip that at the bud right now.

And the fact that BP can pay a $10.5 billion dividend payment is indicative of how much money these folks have been making. And given the fact that they didn’t fully account for the risks, I don’t want somebody else bearing the costs of those risks that they took. I want to make sure that they’re paying for it.

All right. The last point I wanted to make is we did talk about what the environmental quality is down here right now. Lisa Jackson has been down here all week and she went all across the country -- or all across the state of Louisiana. She’s going to be monitoring what’s going on in Alabama and Florida as well.

So far, the air quality, water quality, is continually being tested and doesn’t seem to be much elevated above normal levels. But I want to emphasize something that she just told us, and that is people who are onsite involved in cleanup, they have to be mindful of the fact that we’re dealing with toxins here. This could be -- this could make people very sick if they’re not careful. They’ve got to get the appropriate training. They need the appropriate equipment. If they get sick, we now have health centers that are stationed at each of these points.

Lisa, do you want to talk about that briefly?

ADMINISTRATOR JACKSON: Yes, sir. We have health and safety officers and stations at each muster point. So if someone does come back in and feels in any way that they’ve been exposed, or even if they just don’t feel well, the first thing to do is to report it so that we have a record of it, we can track it down, and we can ensure that they’re not in any way penalized for reporting and making sure that they put their health and the health of their family first.

THE PRESIDENT: Again, I want to just emphasize, everybody down here -- every local official, every state official -- is working as hard as they can. Our federal teams are working as hard as they can. There are still going to be glitches in the response. There are still going to be arguments and disagreements between local and state, state and federal, between everybody and BP, between states and states, in terms of how we’re allocating some of these resources. But I think that Thad Allen has committed to me and the people of the Gulf that we’re going to cut through any bureaucratic red tape, any problems that we’ve got, and we will fix problems that have been identified.

And that was the commitment I made last week. Some of the problems have been fixed; some new ones have resurfaced. We’ll fix those, too. And we’ll keep on coming back until we have dealt with an unprecedented crisis.

But I’m very thankful to everybody for the constructive meeting and the constructive approach that I think everybody is taking in terms of solving this problem.

All right. Thank you, everybody.

Q Mr. President, what did you say to the parish presidents about the difficulty -- the economic difficulties from the drilling moratorium?

THE PRESIDENT: We had a conversation about that, as well, and what I told them is very simple. When I made the decision to issue the moratorium, we knew that that would have an economic impact. But what I also knew is that there was no way that we can go about business as usual when we discovered that companies like BP, who had provided assurances that they had fail-safe backup, redundant systems, in fact, not only didn't have fail-safe systems, but had no idea what to do when those fail-safe systems broke down.

Now, I announced this week that Bob Graham and Bill Reilly, two respected individuals who have experience both on the environmental side as well as in the energy sector, are going to be examining over the next six months what went wrong, but more important -- forward looking, how do we, in fact, increase domestic oil production without seeing the kinds of disasters that we are all witnessing on television day in, day out.

I think Governor Jindal, I know other parish presidents, expressed concern about the immediate economic impact. And what I said to them is the same thing I said to Graham and Reilly, which is, if they can front-load some of the analysis of what went wrong and how you would solve what has happened and what can happen, and you can do that more quickly than six months, then let me know. Don't hold the results of your review for six months, and then tell me. Tell me when you find out.

But what I told the folks in this room was I’m not going to cut corners on it, and I’m not going to press them to move faster than it would take to do an accurate, independent job based on sound science, because I do not want to see this thing repeated again. And the American people don't, and I promise you the people of the Gulf don't want to see it either.

And as difficult as it may be, it’s important for us to do this right, because if we don't do it right, then what you could end up seeing is an even worse impact on the oil industry down here, which is so important to so many jobs.

And I think everybody here emphasized -- and I want to be clear -- I didn't hear anybody here say that they want unsafe operations on these rigs and they certainly don't want to see a repeat of this disaster. They did ask, can we do it faster. And what I said to them was the same thing that I said to Graham and Reilly, which is, you do it as fast as it takes to do it right.

All right? Thank you, everybody.

Q Do you want BP to pay that dividend? Are you calling on them not to?

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, guys.

I want to make sure that they are paying the folks in Louisiana for the havoc that they wreaked, and the folks in Alabama and the folks in Florida. I don't want them nickel-and- diming people down here. I want them to abide by their obligations to their shareholders; I want them to abide by the obligations to people down here, as well.

All right. Thank you, folks.

END
2:43 P.M. CDT

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The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill
Prepared by the Joint Information Center
UPDATED June 8, 2010 7 PM

In the Past 24 Hours

President Obama Announces Fourth Trip to Gulf Coast Next Week
On Monday, June 14, and Tuesday, June 15, the President will make his fourth trip to the Gulf Coast—traveling to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to further assess the latest efforts to counter the BP oil spill.

Admiral Allen and Administrator Lubchenco Provide Operational Update
National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco provided a briefing to inform the American public and answer questions on the progress of the administration-wide response to the BP oil spill from the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Nebraska Avenue Complex. A transcript is available here.

NOAA Completes Initial Analysis of Weatherbird II Water Samples
At the briefing, Administrator Lubchenco announced details of the initial analysis of water samples from the University of South Florida’s Weatherbird II, which confirmed the presence of very low concentrations of sub-surface oil and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)—determined to be in the range of less than 0.5 parts per million, and PAH levels in the range of parts per trillion. The full report is available here (pdf).

Other NOAA scientific research missions to study subsurface impacts in the vicinity of the BP Deepwater Horizon wellhead include the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, which is currently underway, and the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, which returned June 3 from an eight-day oil detection mission. In addition, NOAA’s P-3 “Hurricane Hunter” is deploying instruments to better track the movement of the Loop Current, and therefore improve our understanding of where the oil is moving at the surface and below the surface.

NOAA Deploys Additional High Powered Research Aircraft to Monitor Gulf Air
A second NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft was deployed to the Gulf today to build on current air quality monitoring efforts near the BP oil spill. The NOAA aircraft conducted two flights over and around the spill site to detect pollutants and their reaction products released into the atmosphere by the oil, as well as the pollutants and smoke from controlled burns. The flights will enable researchers to better understand the spill’s atmospheric effects.

As part of the federal government's ongoing response to the BP spill, EPA continues its extensive air quality monitoring along the Gulf Coast. In this case, NOAA and EPA are working collaboratively to take advantage of NOAA’s highly specialized atmospheric research capabilities, which can detect concentrations of compounds in the atmosphere with greater sensitivity than standard operational monitoring flights.

Department of Energy Makes Public Detailed Information on the BP Oil Spill
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy is providing online access to schematics, pressure tests, diagnostic results and other data about the malfunctioning blowout preventer—to ensure the public is informed and outside experts making recommendations have access to the same information that BP and the government have. The information is posted at www.energy.gov.

At the President’s direction, Secretary Chu has assembled a team of top scientists and engineers from academia and the U.S. government, with support from more than 200 personnel from the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories, to analyze the response efforts and recommend additional options for stopping the leaking oil.

Secretary Locke Hosts Conference Call with Gulf Coast Tourism Leaders
Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke hosted a conference call today with leaders from the travel and tourism industry in the Gulf Coast—an opportunity to hear firsthand about the impacts of the BP oil spill and receive feedback on what else the federal government could be doing to help mitigate the damage.

BP Continues to Capture Some Oil and Gas Using Containment Device
BP continues to capture some oil and burn some gas at the surface using its containment dome technique, which is being executed under the federal government’s direction. After cutting off a portion of the riser, BP placed a containment device over it in order to capture oil at its source.

Administration Continues to Oversee BP’s Claims Process
The administration will continue to hold the responsible parties accountable for repairing the damage, and repaying Americans who’ve suffered a financial loss as a result of the BP oil spill. BP reports that 39,659 claims have been opened, from which more than $49.6 million have been disbursed. No claims have been denied to date. There are 531 claims adjusters on the ground. To file a claim, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.

Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $2 Million
SBA has approved 46 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling more than $2.05 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 334 existing SBA disaster loans in the region, totaling $1,440,000 per month in payments. For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

By the Numbers to Date:

The administration has authorized 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to participate in the response to the BP oil spill.
More than 24,000 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
More than 3,500 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
Approximately 2.25 million feet of containment boom and 2.55 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 670,000 feet of containment boom and 2.38 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
Approximately 15.86 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
Approximately 1.12 million gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—790,000 on the surface and 330,000 subsea. More than 480,000 gallons are available.
More than 130 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 3.5 million gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.
17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines.

Resources:

For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.
For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.
To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (985) 902-5231.
To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities can also be found here.
To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call 281-366-5511.
To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401. Messages will be checked hourly.
For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.
For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.
For Fish and Wildlife Service updates about response along the Gulf Coast and the status of national wildlife refuges, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/.
For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
To file a claim with BP, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at (800) 440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here (pdf). Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118. More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here.
In addition, www.disasterassistance.gov has been enhanced to provide a one-stop shop for information on how to file a claim with BP and access additional assistance—available in English and Spanish.

Admiral, Thad Allen Outlines Federal Role in Oil Spill Response

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2010 – The Gulf of Mexico oil spill could soon reach levels on par with the 250,000 barrels of crude oil lost in the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill, the Coast Guard commandant said yesterday in an interview on CNN’s State of the Union.Video

“By the time we get this leak sealed, the volume that’s out there is probably going to start to approach that much,” Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the national incident commander for the Gulf oil spill, told Candy Crowley.

“Our big concern right now is oil that's coming to shore around Port Fourchon in southern Louisiana and trying to redeploy our forces there to meet that,” he continued. “At the same time, we're seeing tar balls in Mississippi and Alabama. And this spill has really spread out wide, concerning its perimeter, but it's really concentrated, heavy starts, throughout the area of about a 200-mile radius.”

In a White House news conference today, Allen outlined the basic command-and-control structure for how oil spill response works. He told reporters that although the federal government has oversight, the spiller is responsible for financing cleanup, equipment and recouping damaging, according to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

In the Gulf of Mexico, the oil company BP is the accountable party, Allen said.

The legislation was passed after the Exxon Valdez spill, and also created a liability trust fund to fund responses where there was no responsible party. The legislation charges Coast Guard area commanders with responsibility in those zones. These captain of the port zones work with state and local officials and stakeholders to develop protection plans, mainly for “sensitive areas,” he said.

Captain of the port zones are present on every single part of the coastline of the United States. When they have to activate a response, the local Coast Guard commander is designated the federal on-scene coordinator and coordinates with state and local governments and directs the responsible party in the cleanup, the admiral explained.

“That is the way we have been prosecuting this case since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon on the 20th of April,” he said. “Even in advance of the sinking of the drilling unit, we were staging equipment that was against the scenario we would have a worst-case spill.

“We started actually mobilizing equipment salvage engineers and everything right after the event happened into the 21st of April,” he added.

For the Gulf Coast spill, the zone commands were brought under the command of Coast Guard Rear Adm. Marry Landry, because of the size of the spill, Allen said. Landry oversees commanders in Mobile, Ala., which covers Mississippi, Alabama and western Florida.

Landry also supervises a command in St. Petersburg and Key West, Fla.

“If something gets large enough where there’s a national issue,” Allen said, “it will come up to the national response team.”

The national response team consists of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others. Also, the president can declare “a spill of national significance” if the coordination becomes “complicated,” Allen added.

“This is not policy,” he said. “This is a command-and-control structure. It’s actually contained in the Code of Federal Regulations that implements the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. So there are actually clear definitions.”

Allen said the federal response team “needs to make sure [BP] execute their responsibilities as the responsible party and we carry out our responsibilities and be accountable as the federal on-scene coordinators.”

Allen also explained that in this role, the federal government can issue an order to BP to apply resources in a particular way if the government is not pleased with BP’s method. However, BP, or the responsible party, is the one with the means to deal with the spill. The military does not have the equipment or technology to address the Gulf Coast spill alone, he said.

“Ultimately, we are accountable to make sure [BP cleans up the spill],” he said. “The law requires them to play a certain role, to pay for it, to provide equipment and so forth, and particularly with trying to deal with a leak on the bottom of the ocean there -- 5,000 feet down.”

While BP works to cap the leak, states have requested support from the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent oil damage ashore. Louisiana has applied for a permit that suggests establishing a system of barrier islands and berm structures, the admiral said.

The Army is evaluating the requests and looking at costs and schedule as well as issues the engineers may face. Building the barrier islands could take as long nine months. The review is still ongoing by the Army and Coast Guard, he added.

Other U.S. military support comes from the Air Force, who has been conducting aerial spray missions to help in neutralizing the oil spill with dispersing agents. Also, the Air Force is transporting boom from Alaska. Meanwhile, the Navy is supplying vessels to act as staging platforms for BP workers and equipment.

Allen estimates that it could take until August to cap the oil spill.

Biographies:
Coast Guard Adm. Thad W. Allen

----------------------------

June 9, 2010, WASHINGTON – The latest announcement on how much oil is being captured from the gushing BP oil well on Wednesday raised additional doubts about the validity of government estimates on how much crude actually has been spewing into Gulf waters.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is in charge of the spill response effort, said Wednesday that BP was now capturing 630,000 gallons a day and that the amount could nearly double by next week to roughly 1.17 million gallons. But the government's estimate of the total oil leaking has been 500,000 to 1 million gallons of leaking every day.

President Obama and the US Government, including the DOD for Emergency Homeland Security doing the best whatever it takes to recover as soon as possible. BP, president, Tony Hayward also responded that BP will take the full responsibilities whatever it take to recover and made the sincere apologies in . Meanwhile, there are so many supports are there including the DOD, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has authorized two Air Force Reserve C-130H aircraft to support the response to a massive oil slick that threatens wetlands and beaches along the Gulf Coast, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell confirmed in April 26, 2010.

DOD news also stated that the Navy has dispatched 66,000 feet of inflatable oil boom with anchoring equipment, along with seven skimming systems and their supporting gear to the region, Navy Lt. Myers Vasquez reported.

The C130 crews, assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing’s 757th Airlift Squadron at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Ohio, had prepositioned in Mississippi in anticipation of the tasking.

“We are posturing to be ready to provide support to the ongoing emergency efforts if called upon,” said Air Force Col. Craig Peters, the 910th Operations Group commander. See the photo in below:

Aircraft and crews from the Air Force Reserve’s 910th Airlift Wing prepare to leave Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, to a staging area in the Gulf Coast region in anticipation of supporting emergency oil spill cleanup efforts, April 29, 2010. Air Force photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr.

It is becoming the serious problem, Fisheries, wildlife, economic, marketing, eco environment which led the critical urgency matter for the recovery responses to the climate changes. As you can see the photos and media, all of these are seriously becoming closer to wellness problem which would caused by invisible matters chemical oil reaction for our daily food and so on….which reminds of us that President Barack Obama’s statement which stated On May 2nd, 2010 in Venice, La that “We're dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster. The oil that is still leaking from the well could seriously damage the economy and the environment of our Gulf states and it could extend for a long time. It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home.”

Back in April 26, 2010 Southeast Fishery Bulletin, stated that NOAA Fisheries Service published a final rule to implement Amendment 31 to the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish Resources in the Gulf of Mexico in the Federal Register on April 26, 2010. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 31 and associated Final Environmental Impact Statement for review, approval, and implementation by NOAA Fisheries Service. These provisions are effective May 26, 2010. See the link detail information.

NOAA was established within the Department of Commerce via the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970. With its ties to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, NOAA celebrated 200 years of service in 2007.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. NOAA warns of dangerous weather, charts seas and skies, guides the use and protection of ocean and coastal resources, and conducts research to improve understanding and stewardship of the environment.

See the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) in flight.

You will be able to see the Federal Fisheries Closure boundary as of June 7^th, 2010 for the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill area. Click to see the bigger view via NOAA site

Nearly 80 percent of U.S. overseas trade by volume travels into and out of the country through our nation’s nearly 400 ports. Waterborne cargo alone contributes more than $742 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and is responsible for more than 13 million jobs. Ensuring that the maritime commerce system is able to operate requires detailed, accurate and up-to-date maps and charts of U.S. waterways.

There are many Wildlife Birds are hurt by the BP oil spilled these affect could have spread to the human but, still need prevention and to be identified what other could be hurt this nation by the BP oil spill. Some protection is there for BPs matter. See below info via youtube.

NASA satellite shows oil 20 miles from Florida Keys


	Tony Hayward PTC 13 May 2010

Cap Collects More Oil, BP CEO Called to Cap Hill

Chopper Crews Help Develop Cleanup Strategies	June 06, 2010 — In BP's latest response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, the LMRP cap was successfully installed


Brown pelicans soaked in oil waiting to be cleaned at the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Buras, La.: June 7, 2010	Admiral Thad Allen taking pictures of BP oil spilled area.

Wildlife Birds are hurt by the BP oil spilled these affect have spread to the human but, still need prevention and to be identified what other to be hurt in this nation.	Turtle died by the BP oil spill.

Pelican bird is soaked by BP Oil spill and waiting to be cleaned at the International Bird Rescue Research Center	Pelican bird is soaked by BP Oil spill and waiting to be cleaned at the International Bird Rescue Research Center

June 06, 2010 — In BP's latest response to the Deepwater Horizon incident, the LMRP cap was successfully installed

Here is how they take care of the oiled Pelicans: Oiled Bird Gets Bath	Pelican without the oil : Brown Pelican in Venice Beach, Florida

Resource:

DOD news

Remarks

Deep Water Horizon Response

Flash Back

------------------------------------------------------------------------
President Obama Continues to Action Clean up effort
in the Gulf Region to recover the environmental damages
including the Economic Damages,
which makes the critical path to
the Climate Change Response for The Green world

"Relentless Efforts to Stop the Leak and Contain the Damage"


	Click the Icon see a bigger photo

According to the White House, BP committed to pay for responsive. President Obama addressed that "we are hold their obligation". President Obama made clear to follow regulation of offshore drilling sites according to the what damages have affected for environmental issues and concerns for the citizens and nationwide including the ocean which will need clean water recovery work because of the BP Gulf Coast devastation and caused the critical damage for economy due to efforts to stop the leak and contain the damage which has been a loss of life, damage to our coastline, to fish and wildlife, and to the livelihoods of everyone from fishermen to restaurant and hotel owners. President Obama witnessed the anger citizens and he wants to make sure doing the recovery action as soon as possible.

President Obama is emphasizing to stop the leaking as soon as possible. The report shows that there is leaking which 5,000 feet under the ocean’s surface, this has been extremely difficult. But scientists and engineers are currently using the best, most advanced technology that exists to try to stop the flow of oil as quickly as possible. see the above photos.

It is critical to recover in order to have the clean evironment and support the climate changes like President Obama requested to Secretary Salazar to conduct a top-to-bottom reform of the Minerals Management Service. This week, he announced that the part of the agency which permits oil and gas drilling and collects royalties will be separated from the part of the agency in charge of inspecting the safety of oil rigs and platforms and enforcing the law which will prevent the conflict of interest as well as.

The following is remark by President Obama back in March 19th, 2009 which reflects meaningful for the climate change response.

"So we have a choice to make. We can remain one of the world's leading importers of foreign oil, or we can make the investments that would allow us to become the world's leading exporter of renewable energy. We can let climate change continue to go unchecked, or we can help stop it. We can let the jobs of tomorrow be created abroad, or we can create those jobs right here in America and lay the foundation for lasting prosperity."

-President Obama, March 19, 2009

President Obama is working hard to recover the BP Oil Spil and support the citizens concerns accordingly for the people of the Gulf Coast whatever is necessary to stop this spill, prevent further damage, and compensate all those who’ve been affacted by BP Oil Spil accordingly. President Obama will continue to support to recover damages as soon as possible and all claims have been paid. Again, BP committed to pay the responsive which is for the harms and damage caused by BP Oil Spil. President Obama wants to make sure that this will not happened again. His most Priority is to stop the leaking Oil.

On the other hand, BP is doing the best as much as what is available to stop although the rig's blowout preventer (BOP), a fail-safe device fitted at source of the well, did not automatically cut-off the oil flow as intended when the explosion occurred. BP attempted to use ROVs to close the blowout preventer valves on the well head 5,000 feet (1,500 m) below sea level, a valve closing procedure taking 24–36 hours. As of May 2, 2010, BP had sent six ROVs to close the blowout preventer valves, but all attempts were ultimately unsuccessful.

BP engineers have attempted a number of techniques to control or stop the oil spill. The first and fastest was to place a subsea oil recovery system over the well head. This involved placing a 125-tonne (280,000 lb) container dome over the largest of the well leaks and piping it to a storage vessel on the surface. This option would have collected as much as 85% of the leaking oil but was an option that was untested at such depths. BP deployed the system on May 7-8 but it failed when gas leaking from the pipe mixed with water to form methane hydrate crystals that blocked up the steel canopy at the top of the dome. The excess buoyancy of the crystals clogged the opening at the top of the dome where the riser was to be connected.

BP is also preparing to drill a relief well into the original well to relieve it. Transocean's Development Driller III has started drilling a relief well on May 2, 2010. Transocean's Discoverer Enterprise is also underway, should a second relief well be necessary. This operation will take two to three months to stop the flow of oil and will cost about US$100 million. Re-drilling the well straight down was done in Australia after the 2009 Montara oil spill. In this case, once the second drilling operation reached the original borehole the operators pumped drilling mud into the well to stop the flow of oil.

On May 5, BP announced that the smallest of three known leaks had been capped. This did not reduce the spread of oil into the Gulf, but it did allow the repair group to focus their efforts on the two remaining leaks.

According to BP Chief Executive, Tony Hayward, BP will compensate all those affected by the oil spill saying that "We are taking full responsibility for the spill and we will clean it up and where people can present legitimate claims for damages we will honor them. We are going to be very, very aggressive in all of that."

On April 28, the US military announced it was joining the cleanup operation. Doug Suttles, chief operating officer of BP, welcomed the assistance of the US military. The same day, the US Coast Guard also announced it would commence burning of the oil and initiated a controlled burn later that day 30 miles (48 km) east from the Mississippi River Delta, in an effort to protect environmentally sensitive wetlands.

On April 27, 2010 DOD reported that although oil still continues to leak into the Gulf of Mexico after an oil rig off the Louisiana coast exploded April 20, officials in charge of clean-up operations say they’re doing the best they can to contain the spill.See the video

Click to see the Video

On 30 April, President Barack Obama announced that he had dispatched "the Secretaries of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the Administrator of the EPA, my Assistant for Energy and Climate Change Policy, and the NOAA Administrator to the Gulf Coast" to assess the disaster and that the U.S. Federal Government was using "every single resource at our disposal" to control the slick.

President Obama addressed the following statement:

"We're going to do everything in our power to protect our natural resources, compensate those who have been harmed, rebuild what has been damaged, and help this region persevere like it has done so many times before."

-- President Barack Obama, Venice, Louisiana

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations is avaialble (e-CFR) Data is current as of May 13, 2010 via this website which calls title of 40 Protection of Environment.

Click to see the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) for Main Page.

Sources:White House
EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency)

Code of Federal Regulation (CFR)

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations

Boeing News

Wikipedia

Yahoo News

Flickr

DOD

catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, May 14, 2010

--------------------------------------------------------

President Obama responses Right away
in the Gulf Region to recover the environmental damage as soon as possible:

President Obama discusses the enormous scope of the disaster
and the ongoing federal commitment in Venice, Louisiana.
He also speaks about the incident in Time Square,
New York and the ongoing local and federal response.
see the following detail:
"A Massive and Potentially Unprecedented Environmental Disaster"

/

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________

For Immediate Release	May 2nd, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT on Oil Spill
Venice, Louisiana

3:25 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. First let me say a few words about the incident in New York City. I want to commend the work of the NYPD, the New York Fire Department, and the FBI, which responded swiftly and aggressively to a dangerous situation. And I also want to commend the vigilant citizens who noticed this suspicious activity and reported it to the authorities.

I just got off the phone on the way down here with Mayor Bloomberg to make sure that state and federal officials are coordinating effectively. Since last night my national security team has been taking every step necessary to ensure that our state and local partners have the full support and cooperation of the federal government. We're going to do what's necessary to protect the American people, to determine who is behind this potentially deadly act, and to see that justice is done. And I'm going to continue to monitor the situation closely and do what it takes at home and abroad to safeguard the security of the American people.

Now, we just finished a meeting with Admiral Thad Allen, our National Incident Commander for this spill, as well as Coast Guard personnel who are leading the response to this crisis. And they gave me an update on our efforts to stop the BP oil spill and mitigate the damage.

By the way, I just want to point out, I was told there was drizzling out here -- (laughter) -- is this Louisiana drizzle right here? (Laughter.)

They gave me a sense of how this spill is moving. It is now about nine miles off the coast of southeastern Louisiana. And by the way, we had the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, as well as parish presidents who were taking part in this meeting, because we want to emphasize the importance of coordinating between local, state, and federal officials throughout this process.

Now, I think the American people are now aware, certainly the folks down in the Gulf are aware, that we're dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster. The oil that is still leaking from the well could seriously damage the economy and the environment of our Gulf states and it could extend for a long time. It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home.

And that's why the federal government has launched and coordinated an all-hands-on-deck, relentless response to this crisis from day one. After the explosion on the drilling rig, it began with an aggressive search-and-rescue effort to evacuate 115 people, including three badly injured. And my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the 11 workers who have not yet -- who have not been found.

When the drill unit sank on Thursday, we immediately and intensely investigated by remotely operated vehicles the entire 5,000 feet of pipe that's on the floor of the ocean. In that process, three leaks were identified, the most recent coming just last Wednesday evening. As Admiral Allen and Secretary Napolitano have made clear, we've made preparations from day one to stage equipment for a worse-case scenario. We immediately set up command center operations here in the Gulf and coordinated with all state and local governments. And the third breach was discovered on Wednesday.

We already had by that time in position more than 70 vessels and hundreds of thousands of feet of boom. And I dispatched the Secretaries of the Interior and Homeland Security; the Administrator of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, who is here; my Assistant for Energy and Climate Change Policy; and the Administrator of NOAA to the Gulf Coast to ensure that we are doing whatever is required to respond to this event.

So I want to emphasize, from day one we have prepared and planned for the worst, even as we hoped for the best. And while we have prepared and reacted aggressively, I'm not going to rest -- and none of the gentlemen and women who are here are going to rest -- or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil on the Gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people of this region are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.

Currently, the most advanced technology available is being used to try and stop a leak that is more than 5,000 feet under the surface. Because this leak is unique and unprecedented, it could take many days to stop. That's why we're also using every resource available to stop the oil from coming ashore and mitigating the damage it could cause. And much of the discussion here at the center was focused on if we, and when we have to deal with these mitigation efforts.

Thus far, as you can tell, the weather has not been as cooperative as we'd like on this front. But we're going to continue to push forward.

I also want to stress that we are working closely with the Gulf states and local communities to help every American affected by this crisis. Let me be clear: BP is responsible for this leak; BP will be paying the bill. But as President of the United States, I'm going to spare no effort to respond to this crisis for as long as it continues. And we will spare no resource to clean up whatever damage is caused. And while there will be time to fully investigate what happened on that rig and hold responsible parties accountable, our focus now is on a fully coordinated, relentless response effort to stop the leak and prevent more damage to the Gulf.

I want to thank the thousands of Americans who've been working around the clock to stop this crisis -- whether it's the brave men and women of our military, or the local officials who call the Gulf home. They are doing everything in their power to mitigate this disaster, prevent damage to our environment, and help our fellow citizens.

During this visit, I am hoping to have the opportunity to speak with some of the individuals who are directly affected by the disaster. I've heard already that people are, understandably, frustrated and frightened, especially because the people of this region have been through worse disasters than anybody should have to bear.

But every American affected by this spill should know this: Your government will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to stop this crisis.

This is one of the richest and most beautiful ecosystems on the planet, and for centuries its residents have enjoyed and made a living off the fish that swim in these waters and the wildlife that inhabit these shores. This is also the heartbeat of the region's economic life. And we're going to do everything in our power to protect our natural resources, compensate those who have been harmed, rebuild what has been damaged, and help this region persevere like it has done so many times before.

That's a commitment I'm making as President of the United States, and I know that everybody who works for the federal government feels the exact same way.

Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)

END 3:33 P.M. CDT

Source:
White House

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPA reported that As of May 2, 2010 water sampling results off the Gulf Coast indicated that water quality does not pose increased risk to aquatic life.

As of May 7, 2010, EPA air monitoring finds that air quality on the Gulf coastline is normal for this time of year.

Detail information for Deepwater Horizon response is availab on this website:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or sometimes USEPA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to protect human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on December 2, 1970, when its establishment was passed by Congress, and signed into law by President Nixon, and has since been chiefly responsible for the environmental policy of the United States. It is led by its Administrator, who is appointed by the President of the United States. The EPA is not a Cabinet agency, but the Administrator is normally given cabinet rank. Lisa P. Jackson is the current Administrator. The agency has approximately 18,000 full-time employees.

The following photo is The oil slick as seen from space by
NASA's Terra satellite on May 1, 2010.
Source: wikipedia

ROBERT, La. – NASA satellite imagery shows an oil sheen leaking from the site of the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, April 26, 2010. The sheen is approximately 600 miles in circumference and recovery and clean-up efforts have resulted in the collection of 1,152 barrels/ 48,384 gallons of oily-water mixture. : Imagery courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory

Here is the timeline how the BP Oil Spil recovering timeline:

The Pentagon Chanel shows that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has approved requests from the governors of three additional Gulf Coast states for National Guard troops to support oil cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. See below more detail.

BP was principal developer of the "Macondo Prospect" oil field and leased the drilling rig from Transocean LTd. The U.S. Government has named BP as the responsible party in the incident and will hold the company accountable for all cleanup costs resulting from the oil spill. BP has accepted responsibility for the oil spill and the cleanup costs but indicated that the accident was not their fault as the rig was run by Transocean personnel. One of the plans, in progress, is the lowering of a containment dome to funnel the leaking oil, through a pipe system, up to a ship on the surface (see diagram at right ). Initial attempts to install the dome resulted in failure, due to the accumulation of Clathrate hydrate crystals (methane clathrate).

It is reminding that the Boeing Company just announced Duwamish Waterway Environmental Cleanup and Habitat Restoration on May 4, 2010. This project will create nearly five acres of contiguous intertidal wetlands, restore more than half a mile of waterway and establish a resting area for migratory fish in and along the lower Duwamish Waterway.

Boeing has reached a settlement agreement to clean up high priority areas. The agreement – signed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Interior, the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Suquamish and Muckleshoot Indian tribes – fulfills significant federal and state requirements for Boeing along the waterway.

The Duwamish Waterway was created in the early 1900s when a 9.3-mile (14.9-kilometer) stretch of the waterway in south Seattle was straightened, dredged and transformed into a 5.3 mile-long (8.5 kilometer) navigational channel with deep-water port facilities. In 1909, what was then the world's largest man-made island was built at the mouth of the waterway for industrial uses. Boeing began operations along the Duwamish Waterway in 1936. In 2001, the waterway was listed as a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Sources:

White House

EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency)

Boeing News

Wikipedia

Flickr

DOD

catch4all.com, Sandra Englund, May 9th, 2010,
Rv. May 10, 2010

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