The ongoing administration-wide response to the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Prepared by the Joint Information Center
Updated May 6, 2010

Wildlife Response Action Plan

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Oil Spill Response

Ongoing Administration-Wide Response

 

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UPDATED MAY 5, 2010

Secretary Salazar Gulf Coast Visit

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar surveyed ongoing response efforts to combat the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, inspecting the four-story cofferdam that will attempt to capture the largest leak from the damaged wellhead; making an aerial survey of containment and cleanup efforts underway on Gulf waters; and visiting national wildlife refuges on the Louisiana and Alabama coast to assess on-the-ground efforts to protect sensitive areas.

Successful Controlled Burn

Favorable weather conditions allowed responders to conduct a successful controlled burn operation. As part of a coordinated response that combines tactics deployed above water, below water, offshore, and close to coastal areas, controlled burns efficiently remove oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.

NASA Satellite Assets

At NOAA’s request, NASA has agreed to use their ER-2 aircraft, equipped with a highly specialized scanner (the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) system) to provide NOAA high resolution images of the threatened Gulf shoreline. This will assist valuable NOAA’s damage assessment activities by forecasting spill trajectories and conducting mass balance calculations. Additionally, NASA has employed satellite instruments both to detect the extent of the entire oil spill, and to see the details of the extent of selected areas of the spill.

Additional Staging Location

A 10th staging location was established in Panama City, Fla., joining nine others in Biloxi, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Pascagoula, Miss., Dauphin Island, Ala., Port Sulphur, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Port Fourchon, La., and Venice, La.

Aerial Dispersant Spray Missions

Modular Aerial Spray System (MASS) aircraft flew four missions—dispensing the same dispersant chemical being used by BP and the federal responders. These systems are capable of covering up to 250 acres per flight.

Seafood Inspection

NOAA Fisheries continues to collect seafood samples and transfer those to the National Seafood Inspection Lab.

NOAA Ocean and Marsh Imaging Flights

Two NOAA turbo-prop aircraft are positioned in Mobile, Ala. One will fly marine mammal survey missions—the second aircraft will conduct ocean imaging missions, providing valuable information about the oil thickness and density on the sea surface. A third NOAA aircraft is positioned in New Orleans and staged to conduct aerial photographic flights of marsh areas.

Ocean Exploration Mission

A NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research-sponsored mission is en route to collect seafloor and water column data from areas near the oil spill source.

National Park Service Response Website

The National Park Service created an oil spill response website, available at http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm, to update the public about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife.

Total response vessels: nearly 200
Boom deployed: 564,991 feet (regular plus sorbent boom)
Boom available: 1.6 million feet (regular plus sorbent boom)
Oily water recovered: more than 1.2 million gallons
Dispersant used: more than 190,000 gallons
Dispersant available: more than 55,600 gallons
Overall personnel responding: approximately 7,900

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UPDATED MAY 3, 2010

Ø        The President has dispatched the secretaries of Commerce, Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the NOAA Administrator, to return to the Gulf Coast this week. Specific details on their travel will come from their departments and agencies, but collectively they will be inspecting the ongoing, coordinated response efforts to mitigate the impact of the spill on public health, the environment and the economy. They will meet with business owners to discuss potential economic impacts of this spill across the Gulf Coast region.

Ø        Secretary Salazar, Secretary Napolitano, EPA Administrator Jackson and other members of the Obama administration today met with BP CEO Tony Hayward and BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay at the Department of the Interior to discuss ongoing, coordinated response efforts and receive an update on BP’s mitigation plans for potentially impacted Gulf Coast states. This is the most recent in a series of meetings that have taken place between administration leadership and BP leadership.

Ø        Response crews continue to test a new technique to break up the oil before it reaches the surface—a remotely operated underwater vehicle dispensing sub-surface dispersant at a rate of nine gallons per minute—with encouraging results so far. Nearly 3,000 gallons of subsea dispersants were applied, and BP and NOAA continue to evaluate these tests to determine the feasibility of continued use of subsea dispersants.

Ø        More than 2,000 volunteers have been trained to assist in the response effort to date. Volunteer recruitment efforts include outreach to local fishermen with boats, which can be used as vessels of opportunity to assist contractors in deploying boom.

Ø        Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels visited Louisiana with a team of experienced hazardous materials professionals leading an effort to ensure that oil spill cleanup workers receive necessary protections from the hazards of this work. OSHA is consulting with BP, as well as federal agency partners, to ensure that workers receive appropriate training and protective equipment.

Ø        Nine staging areas are now set up to protect vital shoreline in all potentially affected Gulf Coast states (Biloxi, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Pascagoula, Miss., Dauphin Island, Ala., Port Sulphur, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Port Fourchon, La., Venice, La.).

Ø        BP is now accepting claims for the Gulf Coast oil spill. Please call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118. 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.  

By the Numbers to Date:
Ø        Personnel were quickly deployed and approximately 3,000 are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife.

Ø        Nearly 200 vessels are 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.

Ø        Hundreds of thousands of feet of boom (barrier) have been deployed to contain the spill—nearly 700,000 feet are available.

Ø        More than 1 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.

Ø        More than 156,000 gallons of dispersant have been deployed. An additional 230,000 gallons are available.

Ø        Nine staging areas have been set up to protect vital shoreline in all potentially affected Gulf Coast states (Biloxi, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Pascagoula, Miss., Dauphin Island, Ala., Port Sulphur, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Port Fourchon, La., Venice, La.).

Ø        More than 2,000 volunteers have been trained to assist in the response effort to date.

Response Actions:
Ø        The response to the BP Oil Spill began as an emergency search and rescue mission conducted and supported by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Navy and other partners on April 20. 126 people were on the rig when the incident occurred. 11 remain unaccounted for; 17 were injured, 3 of them critically.

Ø        The President immediately began actively monitoring the incident, and held a meeting in the Oval Office on April 22 with senior officials to discuss the situation and ongoing response. The President has been in contact with all the governors of the states that may be affected and ordered that the administration use every single available resource at our disposal.

Ø        Concurrently, command center operations were stood up immediately in the Gulf Coast to begin also addressing the environmental impact of the incident and coordinate with all state and local governments.

Ø        The morning after the explosion, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar deployed Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes down to the gulf to assist with coordination and response to the incident.

Ø        When the drill unit sank, the Administration immediately and intensely investigated by remotely operated vehicles the entire 5,000 feet of pipe that’s on the floor of the ocean. In that process three leaks were identified, the most recent coming on the evening of April 28.

Ø        The Administration immediately began holding regular calls with BP leadership and numerous senior-level meetings have been held between the administration and BP to discuss BP's response effort and federal oversight and support.

Ø        The National Response Team (NRT), an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution incidents was quickly activated and a coordinated group of federal partners-including the United States Coast Guard, Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency-immediately began directing and overseeing BP's response.

Ø        The President dispatched Secretary Napolitano, Secretary Salazar, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Policy Carol Browner and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco to the Gulf Coast to ensure all is being done to respond to this oil spill.

Ø        EPA posted on its dedicated response website the first air monitoring data it has collected in the area—with no red flags at this time.

Ø        President Obama visited the Gulf Coast to inspect response operations firsthand, underscoring the administration’s all-hands-on-deck response to protect the coastline of the Gulf states. He was accompanied by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security John Brennan and Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Policy Carol Browner.

Ø        NOAA is restricting fishing for a minimum of ten days in federal waters most affected by the BP oil spill, largely between Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida’s Pensacola Bay. The closure is effective immediately. This order balances economic and health concerns and only closes those areas affected by oil. Details can be found here.

Ø        BP is now accepting claims for the Gulf Coast oil spill. Please call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118. 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.  

Ø        Secretaries Janet Napolitano and Ken Salazar spoke by conference call to Governors Haley Barbour (MS), Bob Riley (AL), Rick Perry (TX), Charlie Crist (FL) and the Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA). Gov. Jindal was with President Obama. They briefed the Governors on the ongoing response to the BP oil spill in the gulf. They spoke specifically about efforts to stop the oil leaks and mitigating the oil's impact on the shorelines of their states. Additionally, they spoke about ways to enhance what has been strong cooperation between the federal government and the states. The Secretaries and Governors agreed to speak again on May 4.

Ø        BP has indicated it will reimburse volunteers at the rate of $10 per hour. Contractors are also hiring people to support shoreline clean up. Contractor rates go as high as $18 per hour for supervisors.

Ø        The President has dispatched the secretaries of Commerce, Interior and Homeland Security, as well as the NOAA Administrator, to return to the Gulf Coast this week. Specific details on their travel will come from their departments and agencies, but collectively they will be inspecting the ongoing, coordinated response efforts, the impact of the spill on wildlife and the environment, and meeting with business owners to discuss potential economic impacts of this spill across the Gulf Coast region.

Ø        Secretary Salazar, Secretary Napolitano, EPA Administrator Jackson and other members of the Obama administration today met with BP CEO Tony Hayward and BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay at the Department of the Interior to discuss ongoing, coordinated response efforts and receive an update on BP’s mitigation plans for potentially impacted Gulf Coast states. This is the most recent in a series of meetings that have taken place between administration leadership and BP leadership.

Ø        Response crews continue to test a new technique to break up the oil before it reaches the surface—a remotely operated underwater vehicle dispensing sub-surface dispersant at a rate of nine gallons per minute—with encouraging results so far. Nearly 3,000 gallons of subsea dispersants were applied, and BP and NOAA continue to evaluate these tests to determine the feasibility of continued use of subsea dispersants.

Ø        More than 2,000 volunteers have been trained to assist in the response effort to date. Volunteer recruitment efforts include outreach to local fishermen with boats, which can be used as vessels of opportunity to assist contractors in deploying boom.

Ø        Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels visited Louisiana with a team of experienced hazardous materials professionals leading an effort to ensure that oil spill cleanup workers receive necessary protections from the hazards of this work. OSHA is consulting with BP, as well as federal agency partners, to ensure that workers receive appropriate training and protective equipment.

Websites and Hotlines:

Ø        For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

Ø        To volunteer, call 1-866-448-5816.

Ø        To report oiled wildlife, call 1-866-557-1401. Messages will be checked hourly.

Ø        To report spill related damage, please call 1-800-440-0858.  

Ø        For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.

Ø        To file a claim, call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at 1-800-280-7118.  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.  

Coordinated Interagency Asset Deployment and Response:

Ø        The Department of Defense is fully integrated into the DHS-led team and fully supportive of all response activities. The Coast Guard and Department of Defense continue to work closely together, anticipating requirements, identifying response options, and rapidly providing response support.

Ø        The Minerals Management Service remains in contact with all oil and gas operators in the sheen area. Two platforms have stopped production and one has been evacuated as a safety measure. Approximately 6.2 million cubic feet of natural gas is shut-in—less than one-tenth of a percent of daily gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ø        MMS is continuing inspection of all deepwater rigs and platforms as mandated by Secretary Salazar in the aftermath of the incident. MMS continues to ensure that BP moves forward on all methods to temporarily and permanently secure the source of the spill. Agency experts are working hand-in-hand with their Coast Guard counterparts to determine the original cause of the well flow and subsequent explosion.

Ø        As the nation’s leading scientific resource for oil spills, NOAA has been on the scene of the BP spill from the start, providing coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state and local organizations. NOAA spill specialists are advising the U.S. Coast Guard on cleanup options as well as advising all affected federal, state and local partners on sensitive marine resources at risk in this area of the Gulf of Mexico.

Ø        Two Modular Aerial Spray System (MASS) aircraft have been deployed in support of the incident in the Gulf of Mexico. Both aircraft have multiple missions scheduled daily, contingent on weather. These aircraft can dispense the same dispersant chemical being used by BP and the federal responders. Each system is capable of covering up to 250 acres per flight with three flights per aircraft per day.

Ø        A C-17 aircraft carrying pollution response boom components for support flew from Travis AFB in California and has arrived at Mobile International Airport.

Ø        In direct support of the Coast Guard under an existing pollution clean-up and salvage operations agreement, the Navy is providing a variety of oil pollution control equipment. The Navy has sent thousands of feet of inflatable oil boom with mooring equipment, several skimming systems, related support gear, and personnel to support oil spill response efforts. Naval Air Station Pensacola is serving as a staging facility for Coast Guard contractor-provided equipment.

Ø        In response to the BP oil spill, the Secretary of Defense has authorized under Title 32 the mobilization of the Louisiana National Guard to help in the ongoing efforts to assist local communities in the cleanup and removal of oil and to protect critical habitats from contamination. As the responsible party in this incident, the government will hold BP accountable for the costs of the deployment.

Spill of National Significance & National Incident Commander:

Ø        Secretary Napolitano announced that this incident is a Spill of National Significance (SONS) on April 29. This designation built on the efforts already underway from day one to leverage the full resources from across the federal government and ensure that all resources are brought to bear in response to this event.

Ø        A SONS designation recognizes the need for a strategic management framework that ensures full engagement at the highest levels of the administration via the National Incident Commander. There is no additional funding or authority that comes with a SONS designation, as that authority already existed prior to this designation.

Ø        As part of the designation of the BP Oil Spill as a Spill of National Significance, Secretary Napolitano announced that U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will serve as the National Incident Commander on May 1 for the administration's continued, coordinated response—providing additional coordinated oversight in leveraging every available resource to respond to the BP oil spill and minimize the associated environmental risks.

Ø        As National Incident Commander, Admiral Allen will continue to work closely with Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry, the federal on-scene coordinator, and the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Interior and Commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal departments and agencies as appropriate—as well as BP, the responsible party in the spill—to ensure the efficient continued deployment and coordination of vital response assets, personnel and equipment that were activated immediately after the spill began.

Joint DHS-DOI Investigation:
Ø        Early on, the President directed responding agencies to not only devote every resource to respond to this incident but to also determine its cause.

Ø        Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Salazar signed an order establishing the next steps for a joint investigation that is currently underway into the causes of the explosion of the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Minerals Management Service (MMS) share jurisdiction for the investigation.

Ø        The joint investigation, which began on April 21, will have the power to issue subpoenas, hold public hearings, call witnesses, and take other steps that may be needed to determine the cause of the incident. It is proceeding under a Joint Statement of Principles and Convening Order, which convenes the formal joint investigation, and a Memorandum of Agreement, which lays out roles and responsibilities that relate to each agency’s area of expertise.

Fishing Restrictions
Ø        NOAA is restricting fishing for a minimum of ten days in federal waters most affected by the BP oil spill, largely between Louisiana state waters at the mouth of the Mississippi River to waters off Florida’s Pensacola Bay. The closure is effective immediately. This order balances economic and health concerns and only closes those areas affected by oil. Details can be found here.

Ø        Statement from Harlon Pearce, Chairman, Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board: “The precautionary closure of the federal waters off the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and part of Florida is a necessary action to insure the citizens of the United States and abroad that our seafood will maintain the highest level of quality we expect from the Gulf of Mexico. As chairman of  the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, I applaud Dr.  Lubchenco’s decision to insure everyone that all seafood in the Gulf is of the highest quality and is safe to eat.”

Ø        Statement from Ewell Smith, Executive Director, Louisiana Seafood Board: “We Support NOAA’s precautionary closure of the affected area so that the American consumer has confidence that the seafood they eat is safe.  It is also very important to underscore the fact that this closure is only the affected area of the Gulf of Mexico, not the entire Gulf.  The state waters of Louisiana West of the Mississippi River are still open and the seafood coming from that area is safe.  That portion of waters represents about 77% of Louisiana seafood production of a 2.4 billion dollar economic impact to the state.”

Editorials and Validations:
Ø        Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register “Editorial: Smart to put Coast Guard commandant in charge:” THE BEST move by the Obama administration since the Deepwater Horizon rig caught fire is putting Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, in charge. LINK

CONTACT INFORMATION

To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866)-448-5816

To submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511

To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system: (281) 366-5511

To submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858

To report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401

To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center: (985) 902-5231