Update on BP Oil Disaster–August 10, 2010

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen provided a briefing to inform the American public and answer questions on the administration-wide response to the BP oil spill.

Admiral Allen reported on the decision to temporarily suspend drilling of the relief well—a necessary step to ensure the well is permanently sealed—as a precautionary measure due to the threat of severe weather. He also described the ongoing effort to clean up impacted shorelines: “We continue our aggressive search for oil—whether it’s onshore or in the marshes—to make sure we’re being responsive to oil that does appear,” he said. “As we stated before, there’s little to no oil offshore at this point, so most of our effort has been at tar balls in the marsh area of Louisiana.”

NOAA Re-Opens More than 5,000 Square Miles of Gulf Waters to Commercial and Recreational Fishing; Approximately 78 Percent of Gulf Waters Are Open

NOAA reopened 5,144 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational finfish fishing. The reopening was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states. The closed area now measures 52,395 miles—or 22 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf—down from 37 percent at its height.

Since July 3, NOAA data have shown no oil in the area, and Coast Guard observers flying over the area in the last 30 days have also not observed any oil. Trajectory models show the area is at a low risk for future exposure to oil and, most importantly, fish caught in the area and tested by NOAA experts have shown no signs of contamination. NOAA will continue to collect samples for testing from the newly re-opened area, and the agency has also implemented dockside sampling to test fish caught throughout the Gulf by commercial fishermen. For more information, click here.

Director Bromwich Hosts Fact-Finding Forum in Mobile

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Director Michael R. Bromwich hosted the second in a series of public forums in Mobile, Ala.—designed to collect information and views from academia; the environmental community; federal, state and local officials; and the oil and gas industry on technical issues related to deepwater drilling safety reforms, well containment, and oil spill response.

Director Bromwich will consider this feedback in evaluating whether to recommend any modifications to the scope or duration of the deepwater drilling suspensions announced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on July 12. The first meeting was held last week in New Orleans.

62 Rehabilitated Birds Released Back to Wild

As part of continued efforts to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries released 62 rehabilitated birds—including roseate spoonbills, skimmers, gulls, and terns—back to the wild at the Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge. This was the fourth bird release within the State of Louisiana. To date, more than 800 birds have been released throughout the Gulf Coast since the BP oil spill began.

FWS Personnel Continue Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Missions Across the Region

From the Houma, La., Incident Command Post, 271 field personnel, 86 vessels, four helicopters and one float plane participated in reconnaissance and wildlife rescue and recovery missions. From the Mobile, Ala., Incident Command Post, wildlife recovery teams responded to 34 calls on the Wildlife Hotline. To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.

Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $20.3 Million

SBA has approved 232 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling more than $20.3 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 789 existing SBA disaster loans in the region, totaling more than $4.3 million 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 [email protected].

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. To date, 146,267 claims have been opened, from which more than $329 million have been disbursed. No claims have been denied to date. There are 1,250 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. Additional information about the BP claims process and all available avenues of assistance can be found at www.disasterassistance.gov.

By the Numbers to Date:

·         The administration has authorized the deployment of 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to respond to this crisis; currently, 1,448 are active.

·         Approximately 31,200 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.

·         More than 5,000 vessels are currently 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 2.48 million feet of containment boom* and 8.74 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 1.16 million feet of containment boom and 3.31 million feet of sorbent boom are available.

·         More than 34.7 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.

·         Approximately 1.84 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied—1.07 million on the surface and 771,000 sub-sea. Approximately 577,000 gallons are available.

·         411 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 11.14 million gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife. Because calculations on the volume of oil burned can take more than 48 hours, the reported total volume may not reflect the most recent controlled burns.

·         17 staging areas are in place to protect sensitive shorelines.

·         Approximately 666 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled—approximately 387 miles in Louisiana, 116 miles in Mississippi, 76 miles in Alabama, and 87 miles in Florida. These numbers reflect a daily snapshot of shoreline currently experiencing impacts from oil so that planning and field operations can more quickly respond to new impacts; they do not include cumulative impacts to date, or shoreline that has already been cleared.

·         Approximately 52,395 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in order to balance economic and public health concerns. Approximately 78 percent remains open. Details can be found at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/.

·         To date, the administration has leveraged assets and skills from numerous foreign countries and international organizations as part of this historic, all-hands-on-deck response, including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization, the European Union’s Monitoring and Information Centre, and the European Maritime Safety Agency.

*The decrease in boom numbers is due to the continued recovery of displaced boom. Once recovered, this boom must be decontaminated, repaired, inspected, and certified before being staged or redeployed. New boom is being deployed in some areas.

Resources:

·         For information about the response effort, visit www.RestoreTheGulf.gov.

·         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 (713) 323-1670.

·         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.

·         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 [email protected].

·         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. 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.