For Immediate Release
For Additional Information, contact
Betty Webb, City Administrator
850-653-8222
City Submits Supplemental Plan to Protect Against Oil Spill
Apalachicola City officials forwarded a proposed oil spill protection plan to the State and BP officials for approval last week with the hope of adding another layer of protection to the City shoreline, river and community itself if and when oil plumes reach Franklin County. The City's proposed plan is designed to supplement ongoing County efforts to protect area waters and shoreline.
"You can't be too careful when it comes to protecting this bay and river," said Apalachicola Mayor Van Johnson as he and fellow commissioners outlined the plan to a standing room only crowd at a July 13 town hall meeting.
Representatives of BP, the Coast Guard, Department of Environmental Protection, Apalachicola Bay Chamber, Franklin’s Promise Coalition and Vessel of Opportunity representatives were on hand to answer questions of a crowd that quickly grew to close to a hundred people.
The proposed $13 million plan calls for deflective and absorbent boom to be placed roughly parallel to the City shoreline starting at Nichols Island and running approximately east to the Apalachicola River, where it is connected to a modified floating dredge pipe which will span the river and be reconnected to another stretch of boom that runs upriver.
City officials say the plan is modeled after similar plans in Orange Beach, Alabama. And, they say the Apalachicola plan is a grass-roots level effort borne out of frustration with watching other coastal communities in Louisiana and Alabama fail. Since early June, Mayor Johnson has written letters to the President and to BP expressing concern about the situation and the need to act quickly.
“I am convinced we must act immediately to defend and protect ourselves from this oil,” said Johnson. “We have been asking BP and our government for assistance to enable Apalachicola to protect against this oil for weeks, mostly without any response.”
Johnson was quick to note that the City's proposed plan of action is not intended as a rejection of the ongoing county booming efforts.
“We’re not saying that what Franklin County is doing is ineffective, or incorrect,” he said. “We just want to a take a proactive stance to protect Apalachicola," "This is our City, our resources and ultimately our responsibility."
Johnson and City officials admit they have no assurances that the state will allocate a portion of the BP oil spill money towards the city’s plan.
“This will take all of our effort and it will take the money from BP that we have been pleading for to financially enable us to keep the oil out of Apalachicola.”
The July 13 town hall meeting to discuss Apalachicola oil spill protection later turned from protection to economics as City officials heard from several business owners who have already been hurt by the Louisiana Oil Spill although the City has not even come close to being impacted by oil.
Representatives from the hotel and restaurant industries spoke about the impacts to their business and expressed concern for the future of the town if and when oil should arrive in Apalachicola.
Mayor Johnson addressed the standing room crowd with the pledge that he fully expected BP to cover those losses. Additionally, Johnson directed staff to research the magnitude of the impact that the oil spill has had directly and indirectly on the town, in terms of lost revenue and property value.
No comments:
Post a Comment