Friday, April 30, 2010
Fishers Frustrated
Fishermen feel frustrated that they're not being used in helping during the oil spill. But PB is in charge and don't seem interested.
Feeling helpless
From the Houma Comet
The spill threatens to have far-reaching consequences.
It could cause widespread damage to wildlife in an area of highly sensitive marshes, wetlands and estuaries that produce one-quarter of the seafood consumed in the USA, said Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., whose district includes Louisiana's southeast coast. "Every American is going to feel this if it gets as bad as they say it might," he said.
Melancon said he was "waiting for answers" from the federal government as to what equipment was available to stop the oil from spreading, and when it could get there. "You just feel helpless," he said. "This is an area that has been through an awful lot."
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warned that billions of dollars' worth of coastal restoration projects undertaken after hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005 are at risk. The disaster also could affect a pillar of Obama's energy plan - an initiative announced a month ago that could open up new areas off the Atlantic Coast and elsewhere to offshore drilling.
Local fisherman Acy Cooper said he was frustrated that the cleanup effort - headed by the Coast Guard and the oil rig's operator, global energy giant BP - waited until Thursday to begin recruiting local fishermen to help.
"We should've been the first one they contacted," Cooper said "We know the bayous better than anyone else."
The spill threatens to have far-reaching consequences.
It could cause widespread damage to wildlife in an area of highly sensitive marshes, wetlands and estuaries that produce one-quarter of the seafood consumed in the USA, said Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., whose district includes Louisiana's southeast coast. "Every American is going to feel this if it gets as bad as they say it might," he said.
Melancon said he was "waiting for answers" from the federal government as to what equipment was available to stop the oil from spreading, and when it could get there. "You just feel helpless," he said. "This is an area that has been through an awful lot."
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warned that billions of dollars' worth of coastal restoration projects undertaken after hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit in 2005 are at risk. The disaster also could affect a pillar of Obama's energy plan - an initiative announced a month ago that could open up new areas off the Atlantic Coast and elsewhere to offshore drilling.
Local fisherman Acy Cooper said he was frustrated that the cleanup effort - headed by the Coast Guard and the oil rig's operator, global energy giant BP - waited until Thursday to begin recruiting local fishermen to help.
"We should've been the first one they contacted," Cooper said "We know the bayous better than anyone else."
The face of tragedy
PHOTO BY TED JACKSON (nola.com) Worry and concern shows on the faces as Louisiana fishers talk outside the front doors of the council chambers in Chalmette, La. following in an emergency meeting Wednesday, April 28, 2010 to see how they can use their resources to help fight the oil spill spewing from from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster that is threatening the Louisiana coastline and its estuaries.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Hello, Tomorrow
From noaa.gov, tomorrow's prediction of this manmade disaster:
Yes, it's just a prediction and it looks bad.
But we will work through this, right?
Yes, it's just a prediction and it looks bad.
But we will work through this, right?
Anatomy of an oil spill
This is the best depiction of what's going on out in the Gulf right now. Click on picture to go to website.
From livescience dot com
From livescience dot com
I can smell it
Going outside at lunchtime I realized that I could actually SMELL the oil
from the Gulf of Mexico. It's THAT close. WWL radio confirmed that oil
is what I'm smelling by reporting that there have been several calls around
the New Orleans area from people smelling the same thing. It's actually
pretty nauseating.
Thanks, BP.
Navy coming to help with oil spill cleanup
The U.S. Navy sent equipment to help with cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the Defense Department said Thursday it stands ready to expand its response to the disaster.
Navy spokesman Lt. Myers Vasquez said Thursday that 66,000 feet (20,000 meters) of inflatable boom and seven skimming systems were on their way to the Navy base in Gulfport, Miss. The help is being provided under an existing pollution cleanup agreement between the Navy and Coast Guard.
The Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida is in use as a staging area for more booms, recovery barges, tractor trailers, pumps and other related equipment used by Coast Guard contractors, Vasquez said.
He was unaware of any military personnel who might be sent to help with the cleanup.
The White House has asked the Defense Department to discuss possible additional requests. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the military is assessing how it might help and what resources could be deployed. He did not say how long that might take.
"There is a full-blown effort within this department to try to find the kinds of things that could be helpful," Morrell said.
He said the federal response is far wider than the Pentagon and should involve a close partnership with the energy industry. For example, he said, industrial research on submersible vehicles that can operate at great depth outpaces the military's.
Morrell said the focus of military efforts now is on helping to contain the spill at sea, but that the Pentagon would be ready to offer other kinds of help should the spill reach shore. He would not speculate on what that additional assistance might include, but one possibility would be an influx of U.S. troops to help with shoreline cleanup.
Navy spokesman Lt. Myers Vasquez said Thursday that 66,000 feet (20,000 meters) of inflatable boom and seven skimming systems were on their way to the Navy base in Gulfport, Miss. The help is being provided under an existing pollution cleanup agreement between the Navy and Coast Guard.
The Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida is in use as a staging area for more booms, recovery barges, tractor trailers, pumps and other related equipment used by Coast Guard contractors, Vasquez said.
He was unaware of any military personnel who might be sent to help with the cleanup.
The White House has asked the Defense Department to discuss possible additional requests. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said the military is assessing how it might help and what resources could be deployed. He did not say how long that might take.
"There is a full-blown effort within this department to try to find the kinds of things that could be helpful," Morrell said.
He said the federal response is far wider than the Pentagon and should involve a close partnership with the energy industry. For example, he said, industrial research on submersible vehicles that can operate at great depth outpaces the military's.
Morrell said the focus of military efforts now is on helping to contain the spill at sea, but that the Pentagon would be ready to offer other kinds of help should the spill reach shore. He would not speculate on what that additional assistance might include, but one possibility would be an influx of U.S. troops to help with shoreline cleanup.
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