Posted by Robert Gibbs on April 30, 2010 at 09:51 AM EDT
The response to the BP Oil Spill began as an emergency search and rescue mission by the U.S. Coast Guard and other partners on April 20. Concurrently, command center operations were stood up immediately in the Gulf Coast to begin also addressing the environmental impact of the incident.
The morning after the explosion, Secretary Salazar deployed Deputy Secretary Hayes down to the gulf to assist with coordination and response to the incident.
The Administration immediately began holding regular calls with BP leadership and numerous senior-level meetings have been held between the administration and BP to discuss BP's response effort and federal oversight and support.
The National Response Team (NRT), an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution incidents was quickly activated and a coordinated group of federal partners—including the United States Coast Guard, Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency—immediately began directing and overseeing BP's response.
The President immediately began actively monitoring the incident and consulting on the response. The President has been in contact with all the governors of the states that may be affected and ordered that the administration use every single available resource at our disposal, including potentially the Department of Defense.
In addition, early on, the President directed responding agencies to not only devote every resource to respond to this incident but to also determine its cause. Earlier this week, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar laid out the next steps for the investigation.
The President has also dispatched Secretary Napolitano, Secretary Salazar, EPA Administrator Jackson, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Policy Carol Browner and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco to the Gulf Coast to ensure all is being done to respond to this oil spill.
DHS Secretary Napolitano announced that this incident is of national significance, the Department of Interior has announced that they will be sending SWAT teams to the Gulf to inspect all platforms and rigs and the EPA is conducting air monitoring activities to gather information on the impact of the controlled burn on air quality.
By the Numbers To Date:
- 1,178 personnel were quickly deployed and have been responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife.
- 76 response vessels have been responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to six fixed-wing aircraft, 11 helicopters, 10 remotely operated vehicles, and two mobile offshore drilling units.
- 174,060 feet of boom (barrier) have been deployed to contain the spill. An additional 243,260 feet is available and 265,460 feet has been ordered.
- 18,180 barrels (763,560 gallons) of an oil-water mix have been recovered
- 98,361 gallons of dispersant has been deployed. An additional 75,000 gallons are available and 184,748 have been ordered.
- Five staging areas (Biloxi, Miss., Pensacola, Fla. Venice, La., Pascagoula, Miss. and Theodore, Ala.) were set up to protect sensitive shorelines.
Robert Gibbs is White House Press Secretary
-i agree with Gibbs!-
edjane maps :)
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President Barack Obama walks with Linda Davis, the grandmother of deceased miner Cory Davis, during a memorial for the victims of the Upper Branch Mine explosion in Beckley, W.Va., April 25, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama and Senator Barbara Boxer in Los Angels,
Petrified sand dunes and reflection, Paria Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona..Copyright Jack Dykinga
