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

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

Prepared by the Joint Information Center

UPDATED August 5, 2010 7 PM

* For a full timeline of the Administration-wide response, visit the White House Blog.
 PAST 24 HOURS
Admiral Allen Provides an Update on the BP Oil Spill Response
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. A full transcript is available here.
Admiral Allen discussed his decision, made with input from the federal science team in Houston, led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, to sign an order last night to BP to proceed with pumping cement into the well—to increase the integrity of the well and enhance the probability of success for the bottom kill. The Q4000 has since completed the cement pumping operations. For the next 24 hours pressure will be applied and a final pressure test is expected to be conducted tomorrow—no further well operations are planned until then.
Allen again reiterated the importance of the relief well to ultimately kill the well: “Let me state, and I have stated this several times, that this is not the end,” he said. “But it will virtually assure us that there will be no chance of oil leaking into the environment. We will then proceed to finish the relief well. The relief well is currently four-and-a-half feet away from the Macondo well, and about 100 to 110 feet above the point where they would enter the annulus.”
Carol Browner Meets with Community Members and Business People in Florida
Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner visited Panama City and Pensacola, Fla., to meet with community members and business people impacted by the BP oil spill. One of the senior Administration officials overseeing the Gulf oil spill response and a former Florida Secretary of the Environment, Browner spoke at the Bay County Economic Development Alliance Meeting on Florida State University’s Panama City Campus and hosted roundtable discussions with community members impacted by the spill in each city.
Secretary Mabus Holds Two Town Hall Meetings in Louisiana
Continuing his fourth trip to the Gulf Coast, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus hosted two town hall meetings—in Houma and Buras, Louisiana—part of a weeklong series of meetings held throughout the Gulf Coast. The town hall meetings are open to the public and media, and will provide residents an opportunity to discuss long-term economic and environmental restoration ideas with the Secretary. This week, Mabus has already hosted meetings in Alabama and Florida.
President Obama charged Secretary Mabus with developing a long-term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan. The plan will consider economic development, community planning, restoration of the ecosystem and environment, public health efforts and assistance to individuals and businesses impacted by the spill in the Gulf.
62 Rehabilitated Birds Released Back to the Wild
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday released 47 rehabilitated laughing gulls on Rabbit Island in Cameron Parish, La., and 15 rehabilitated birds—mostly brown pelicans, rescued from the BP oil spill and treated at the Hammond Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Louisiana—were released on Rabbit Island in Cameron Parish, La. this morning. The bird release was done in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and is the first Louisiana in-state release since the BP oil spill began.
FWS Personnel Continue Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Missions Across the Region
From the Houma, La., Incident Command Post, 270 field personnel, 86 vessels and four helicopters participated in reconnaissance and wildlife rescue and recovery missions. From the Mobile, Ala., Incident Command Post, wildlife recovery teams comprised of 91 volunteers responded to 49 calls on the Wildlife Hotline. To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.
Shoreline Cleanup Operations Continue Along the Gulf Coast
FWS and National Parks Service continue cleanup operations on NPS lands and FWS refuges along the Gulf Coast. Clean-up crews removed 2,000 pounds of debris in Mississippi—including Horn Island, Petit Bois and Ship Island—and 240 pounds of debris in Perdido Beach, Florida.
Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $18.7 Million
SBA has approved 219 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling more than $18.7 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 772 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 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, 142,746 claims have been opened, from which more than $302 million have been disbursed. No claims have been denied to date. There are 1,260 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, 1,582 are active.

• Approximately 31,800 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.

• More than 4,950 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 3.02 million feet of containment boom* and 8.29 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 1 million feet of containment boom and 3.1 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 649 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled—approximately 371 miles in Louisiana, 112 miles in Mississippi, 75 miles in Alabama, and 91 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 57,539 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in order to balance economic and public health concerns. Approximately 76 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 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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