"The administration has mounted a huge response to the spill"

[ProSense]

Scientists Fault Response of Government to Oil Spill in Gulf

By JUSTIN GILLIS
Published: May 19, 2010

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The administration acknowledges that its scientific resources are stretched by the disaster, but contends that it is moving to get better information, including a more complete picture of the underwater plumes.

“We’re in the early stages of doing that, and we do not have a comprehensive understanding as of yet of where that oil is,” Jane Lubchenco, the NOAA administrator, told Congress on Wednesday. “But we are devoting all possible resources to understanding where the oil is and what its impact might be.”

The administration has mounted a huge response to the spill, deploying 1,105 vessels to try to skim oil, burn it and block it from shorelines. As part of the effort, the federal government and the Gulf Coast states have begun an extensive effort to catalog any environmental damage to the coast. The Environmental Protection Agency is releasing results from water sampling near shore. In most places, save for parts of Louisiana, the contamination appears modest so far.

The big scientific question now is what is happening in deeper water. While it is clear that water samples have been taken, the results have not been made public.

Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told Congress on Wednesday that she was pressing for the release of additional test results, including some samples taken by boats under contract to BP.

link

(NOAA) Response to date

• Total response vessels: 950
  
  
• Containment Boom deployed: over 1.36 million feet

  
  
• Containment boom available: nearly 350,000 feet

  
  
• Sorbent boom deployed: over 480,000 feet
  
  
• Sorbent boom available: over 800,000 feet

  
  
• Boom deployed: over 1.8 million feet (regular plus sorbent boom)
  
  
• Boom available: over 1.15 million feet (regular plus sorbent boom)
  
  
• Oily water recovered: more than 7.65 million gallons
  
  
• Dispersant used: over 590,000 gallon
s
  
  
• Dispersant available: more than 300,000 gallons

  
  
• Overall personnel responding: more than 20,000
  
  
• 17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines

EPA Response to BP Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

[LakeSamish706]

1. 29 days later and this flow is still going on, come on thats not doing all you can!

They need to get someone in there that can tell them the best way to stop the flow. Get BP the hell out of the way and get on with it.

[WeDidIt]

2. So you want martial law?

Short of martial law, a civil case must be brought before federal court to remove BP from the issue.

Now, who is this "someone" to get "in there that can tell them the best way to stop the flow"?

I'm all ears. Name the someone.

[LakeSamish706]

3. I don't care if they have to declare martial law, or whatever needs to be done, just stop the flow.

[WeDidIt]

6. Thanks for filing your answer in triplicate

I would oppose martial law except under the most dire of circumstances and though tragic, the Gulf crisis does not meet the criteria under which I would be willing to give up ALL civil liberties to correct.

And that's precisely what you just said. You are willing to give up ALL of your civil liberties in order for Barack Obama to seize control of BP and take complete control of the effort in the Gulf.

Some times the left scares me one fuck of a lot more than the right. Even the right was not willing to have martial law declared during the most egregious of the terrorism scares under Bush.

[LakeSamish706]

7. lol... Don't know if it was DU or my computer, but something went beserk there....

[LakeSamish706]

4. dupe...

[LakeSamish706]

5. dupe.

[ljm2002]

13. Really? It's either BP in charge, or martial law?

Those are the only alternatives?

I am not convinced that is the case. Would you care to provide citations for your assertions? Saying "Well the only alternative is martial law -- there is no middle ground" looks to me like a way of telling people who are complaining to STFU.

BP has gone rogue. Well they've been rogue for a long time, and the government under GWB/Cheeeeeney encouraged and abetted it. But the disaster happened on Obama's watch and I guess what I am not seeing is a sense of urgency on the part of the administration. Now this may be partly a perception issue; on the other hand, it is clear that BP is calling the shots on the response so far.

I understand that Obama's administration did have a quick response, and they are doing things -- much more than GWB would have done, no doubt. But allowing BP to control how much and what information is released, and of course the infamous CBS incident, does not inspire confidence. The government does not have to fully take over, in fact we all understand that BP has the equipment and expertise and we can't shut them out if we want to get the problem handled ultimately. However, the government does not have to allow BP's heavy-handed tactics either, and there are plenty of laws that would allow their every move to be more heavily scrutinized and controlled.

Let's talk about laws. There was a flap recently because ships wanted to suck up the oily water, strain out the oil, and discharge the water back into the Gulf. But because they cannot clean the water 100%, the water they would put back in the Gulf would exceed environmental standards. So they were not allowed to do that. It makes no sense, we can all see that. But people accept it because "we have to follow the law". At the same time, we know that BP and other deep sea drillers were required to submit environmental impact reports in order to get their permits to drill; yet, those required reports were WAIVED. Hmmm. So we can waive legal requirements on the one hand -- when it is in the interest of big corporations; and yet we cannot waive them when it is in the interest of the people and our common environment.

In any case. BP needs to be reined in and the government is the only entity big enough to do that. I would like to see President Obama engaged more publicly in this effort, with daily briefings from BP's and the government's scientists and engineers. I want to know that they are being held under a microscope and their feet are being held to the fire. Hell, I want their feet plunged into the fire, but that can wait.

[Phx_Dem]

14. Yeah, he should swim down there and put his thumb on the leak, or maybe nuke it.

They've got some of the best physicists in the world working on it, but I'm sure you have the perfect solution. So let's hear it.

:eyes:

[amborin]

8. LOL the Admin's 1st response to the spill was to launch massive PR campaign

to make it look responsive

[boppers]

12. Coast Guard = PR department!

Who knew?

:shrug:

[izquierdista]

9. Which definition of "mount" is that?

Mount: v. to copulate, to fuck

Ah yes, THAT definition. :think:

[amborin]

10. LOL!

[Bjorn Against]

11. I will believe it once I see BP officials being dragged away in handcuffs

We have heard enough words, it is time for some accountability for the criminals that caused this to happen. Until the Obama administration holds some people accountable and scraps their plans to expand offshore oil drilling then I can hardly consider their response to be anywhere near adequate.

[Name removed]

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