U.S. orders BP to pay for extended La. barrier island berms; repair job stalls

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

The White House ordered BP to pay for construction of five more large sections of Louisiana barrier island sand berms Wednesday as efforts to contain the gushing Deepwater Horizon oil spill hit more obstacles and the slick approached Florida.

Speaking from the coastal town of Venice, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said he had just heard from the White House that BP would be required to pay for the work. Although the projects had already passed expedited environmental approval, the administration also needed to determine whether the work would actually stop oil from entering the marshlands.

"There is no time for waiting," Jindal said. "We are asking the Coast Guard and the federal government to force BP to act responsibly and immediately get to work on all the six segments that have now been approved as part of our oil spill-fighting efforts."

The potentially costly construction has been a high priority for Louisiana officials, but federal officials have worried about unintended environmental consequences, and BP has been less than eager to pay -- calling the buildup a "hurricane relief project." The Army Corps of Engineers issued six permits in late May to build up about 50 of the 100 miles of barrier islands requested by Louisiana.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/02/AR2010060201916.html?hpid=topnews

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I do hope they did not simply rush through environmental review. The Audubon Society has questioned whether the berms would actually help, and whether the berms would simply create more environmental problems if they washed away during imminent storm season. As noted in CSM:

###

State leaders are not consulting independent scientists about the plan or considering questions about its long-term effects on the coastal environment, says Gregory Stone, a professor of oceanography in the School of Coastal and Environmental Studies at Louisiana State University.

“The governor has not been open about sharing details,” said Professor Stone. “This is a mammoth engineering project, and it can be done, but it’s being done willy-nilly. It’s foolish to embark on a project of this scale without establishing potential negative impacts on currents, on coastal erosion, on wildlife habitat, on whole range of environmental issues.”

The governor’s plan could be improved before implementation, says George Paul Kemp, vice president of the Audubon Society’s Louisiana Coastal Initiative and a former professor of coastal geology at LSU.

[quakerboy]

1. What could go wrong with

Building a new coastline to protect the old one?

It might be a good idea, particularly if it were done right, with a plan to remove it after the need had expired. Not so sure that is in place. But then, when have we ever stopped to really think things through lately?

[lonestarnot]

2. Worisome, as not informed as to consequences w/o study, but do

we have time to study? This is a freakin' emergency! Certainly safer than dispersants IMO.

[truthisfreedom]

3. No doubt we're in uncharted waters. Who knows what will work... but doing something seems

a heck of a lot more effective than doing nothing at all.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Update : BP to fund oil barriers off Louisiana coast

Oil company BP says it will pay for the construction of six sand barriers off the coast of the US state of Louisiana to try to protect fragile wetlands from a huge oil slick.

BP - which is battling to cap a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico - says the project will cost about $360m (£244m).

The sandbanks will join together a chain of natural offshore islands, forming a 50-mile (80km) barrier.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/us_and_canada/10223331.stm

[Nihil]

5. Next up ...

"Locals complain about the amount of traffic transporting sand."

... followed by ...

"Dredgers called for as unexpected storms and tidal currents move sand berms to new locations."

... and, of course, ...

"BP to foot bill for damage caused by knee-jerk reactions from politicians."

Ho hum ... shame that the story of King Canute isn't more widely known ...

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. BP can freely pollute with out environmental paperwork

but the state cannot protect the coast unless it meets paperwork standards?

something wrong here.