The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill

* For a full timeline of the Administration-wide response, visit the White House Blog.
PAST 24 HOURS
Admiral Allen Provides Update on the Well Integrity Test and Overall Response
BP continued the well integrity test, which is being closely monitored by the federal government. As part of the ongoing testing and analysis, oil flow was temporarily halted by the capping stack system. Admiral Allen delivered a briefing to update the American people on these efforts.

EPA Administrator Jackson and Navy Secretary Mabus Hold Outreach Meetings
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson joined Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus in the Gulf Coast today for meetings with environmental, academic and science leaders, as well as representatives from fisheries and other local industries. The President has charged Secretary Mabus with creating a plan of federal support for the long-term economic and environmental restoration of the Gulf Coast region.

Administrator Jackson also met with environmental, community-based stakeholders, local business leaders and academic and science experts in New Orleans to discuss EPA’s role in the BP oil spill response. This marks Administrator Jackson’s seventh visit to the gulf region since the oil spill began.

New Guidelines Are Established to Ensure More Local Vessels Can Join the Response
The Louisiana Unified Command announced new guidelines to enhance the Vessels of Opportunity (VOO) program, which employs boat owners and their crews to help in the response across the Gulf. The new guidelines will ensure that more local residents on local, commercial vessels are able to participate in the program and benefit through their efforts to help respond to the oil spill. The changes were made to address concerns voiced by commercial fisherman and communities across the coast of Louisiana. Currently, more than 2,700 vessels are participating in the VOO program.

Administration Partners with Audubon Nature Institute to Host Sea Turtle Forum
The Unified Area Command co-hosted “Turtle Talk” with Audubon Nature Institute—the first event to bring together the lead agencies involved in turtle protection efforts in one forum to discuss the status of sea turtles affected by the BP oil spill. The forum—which was streamed live online—brought together sea turtle experts from NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service for a roundtable discussion.

Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $14 Million
SBA has approved 171 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling more than $14 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 671 existing SBA disaster loans in the region, totaling more than $3.5 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 disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

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, 114,278 claims have been opened, from which more than $200 million have been disbursed. No claims have been denied to date. There are 1,097 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, 1,640 active.

• Approximately 43,800 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.

• More than 6,900 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.

• More than 3.32 million feet of containment boom and 7 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 856,000 feet of containment boom and 2.74 million feet of sorbent boom are available.

• More than 33.3 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 541,000 gallons are available.

• 387 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 10.98 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 587 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled—approximately 336 miles in Louisiana, 112 miles in Mississippi, 68 miles in Alabama, and 71 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 83,927 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in order to balance economic and public health concerns. More than 65 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 Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Spain, 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.

 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 disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

• 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.  

• Any members of the press who encounter response personnel restricting their access or violating the media access policy set forth by Admiral Allen should contact the Joint Information Center. Click here for more information, including a list of regular embed opportunities.

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