Some More About the Relief Efforts in Regards to the BP Oil Spill

President Barack Obama has said that even when the media goes away and gets caught up in a new story, he would not forget about the people of the Gulf Coast and about the oil spill. He gave his word that he was taking responsibility for the spill. This is very good to hear and he is being true to his word. He directed the Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to go on his eighth trip to the Gulf region to continue his oversight of BP operations.

Also, he was to support federal scientists who are working to contain the oil flowing from BP's destroyed well. Secretary Salazar met with top BP officials, federal personnel and government scientists in Houston.

While he was meeting with scientists and BP officials, Secretary Salazar emphasized the need to find an immediate, short-term solution to contain the oil. He is doing this because the more permanent solution, the drilling of two relief wells, can take up to several months to complete. We don't want to have to wait that long until the oil can be contained. Even if the relief wells were finished right now, that would not solve the problem of the oil that is already on the surface of the water and washing up on land.

United States government scientists, engineers and experts have been working with independent experts and BP officials on a variety of alternatives to contain the flow of oil immediately. Up till now, no viable solution has been found so only basic oil spill clean up operations are being carried out.

The Development Driller III continues to drill the first relief well to a depth of more than 12,000 feet. This is good, as the drilling is 10 days ahead of schedule. It is beginning to angle the well at 35 degrees. The Development Driller II Has drilled the second relief well to a depth of 8,650 feet. So the relief wells are definitely on target, however they probably won't be done before there is a lot more oil in the Gulf, so a viable clean up method must be found.

There has been another successful controlled burn. Favorable weather conditions allowed responders to the oil spill 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. In total, more than 100 burns have been conducted to remove a total of 2.8 million gallons of oil from the water to date.

A federal mobile medical unit arrived in Venice, Louisiana today. This will provide additional basic medical care for responders and residents of coastal communities affected by the oil spill.

The mobile medical unit, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, will integrate with the local medical community to triage and provide basic care for responders and residents concerned about health effects of the oil spill. Patients then can be referred to local healthcare providers or hospitals.
Gulf Fishing Restrictions Expanded; 74 Percent Remains Open.

NOAA extended the northern boundary of the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico up to the Mississippi federal-state water line and portions of the Alabama federal-state water line—this federal closure does not apply to any state waters. Closing fishing in these areas is a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers.

The closed area now represents 61,854 square miles, which is slightly less than 26 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters. This leaves more than 74 percent of Gulf federal waters available for fishing. Details can be found Here.

This extension of the federal fishing closed area due to the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill coincides with the June 1 opening of the Gulf of Mexico recreational red snapper season, and will affect some areas targeted by charter boat captains and private anglers.

However, NOAA Fisheries Service is increasing the level of data collection to more closely monitor the effects of the oil spill on Gulf recreational fishing. This will allow the agency to adjust the closure date for recreational fishing seasons as appropriate, including the red snapper season which is scheduled to close at 12:01 a.m. July 24.