Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill, August 6, 2010

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–August 6, 2010.

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. Admiral Allen reiterated the Administration’s commitment to drilling the relief well to ensure that the well is permanently sealed and provided an estimated timeline for its completion.

Carol Browner Meets with Community Leaders in St. Petersburg

Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner hosted a roundtable meeting with community leaders at the Enoch Davis Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., to discuss the impacts of the BP oil spill. Browner is one of the senior Administration officials overseeing the Gulf oil spill response and a former Florida Secretary of the Environment.

Secretary Mabus Holds a Town Hall Meeting in Galveston

Continuing his fourth trip to the Gulf Coast, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus hosted a town hall meeting in Galveston, Texas—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, Florida and Louisiana.

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.

FWS Personnel Continue Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Missions Across the Region

From the Houma, La., Incident Command Post, 294 field personnel, 106 vessels and three helicopters participated in reconnaissance and wildlife rescue and recovery missions. From the Mobile, Ala., Incident Command Post, wildlife recovery teams responded to 29 calls on the Wildlife Hotline. To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.

Shoreline Cleanup Operations Continue Along the Gulf Coast

As part of continued efforts to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats from the impacts of the BP oil spill, FWS and National Parks Service cleanup crews continued shoreline cleanup operations at Gulf Islands National Seashore, removing 15,200 pounds of oil debris in Mississippi—including Horn Island, Petit Bois, Cat Island and Ship Island—and 5,994 pounds of debris in the Perdido, Fort Pickens and Santa Rosa areas of Florida.

Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $18.7 Million

SBA has approved 221 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 787 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; More than $300 Million

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, 143,720 claims have been opened, from which more than $308 million have been disbursed. No claims have been denied to date. There are 1,258 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, 1,552 are active.

• Approximately 31,600 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.

• More than 5,050 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 2.93 million feet of containment boom* and 8.35 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 1.01 million feet of containment boom and 3.01 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 658 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently oiled—approximately 378 miles in Louisiana, 113 miles in Mississippi, 75 miles in Alabama, and 92 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.