The Gulf Spill is Obama’s Katrina 9/11 (WtF?!?)

Loading


U.S. President Barack Obama talks after touring the Coast Guard Venice Center in the Gulf of Mexico region to view environmental damage caused by the sinking of BP’s oil and gas Deepwater Horizontal drilling rig while in Venice, Louisiana, May 2, 2010. REUTERS

After spending days and weeks reading My Pet Scapegoat, President Obama finally leapt into swift action:

President Barack Obama likened the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to the September 11 attacks in an interview published on the eve of his fourth visit Monday to the stricken region.

“In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come,” he told Politico.com.


Obama examines the crime scene at “Ground Zero”.
Larry Downing/Reuters

Really….?!?


The New Obama Doctrine



The CiC rolls up his sleeves and prepares to kick ’em in the tarballs!

Hat tip: The Anchoress

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
22 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

WTF is he looking for? He has no clue what so ever. I think we should all get over the fact the MSM will not record what actually happens. 45% of the people think this moron is doing a good job. 45% of the people are living off our dollars. The bum should be thrown out and replaced with a sock puppet!

Obama examines the crime scene at “Ground Zero”.
Larry Downing/Reuters

He is ground Zero…

Barack Hussein Obama: The biggest failure, the biggest MORON and the worst POTUS ever…

Bush 43 and Carter have got to be loving this guy… :mrgreen:

From Thomas Sowell: Spill Response Not About Oil, But Snake Oil

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/537263/201006141848/Spill-Response-Not-About-Oil-But-Snake-Oil.aspx

“The big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is bad enough in itself. But politics can make anything worse.

Let’s stop and think. Either the government knows how to stop the oil spill or they don’t. If they know how to stop it, then why have they let thousands of barrels of oil per day keep gushing out, for weeks on end? All they have to do is tell BP to step aside, while the government comes in to do it right.

If they don’t know, then what is all this political grandstanding about keeping their boot on the neck of BP, the attorney general of the United States going down to the Gulf to threaten lawsuits — on what charges was unspecified — and President Obama showing up in his shirt sleeves?

Just what is Obama going to do in his shirt sleeves, except impress the gullible? He might as well have shown up in a tuxedo with white tie, for all the difference it makes.

This government is not about governing. It is about creating an impression. That worked on the campaign trail in 2008, but it is a disaster in the White House, where rhetoric is no substitute for reality.

If the Obama administration was for real, and trying to help get the oil spill contained as soon as possible, the last thing its attorney general would be doing is threatening a lawsuit. A lawsuit is not going to stop the oil, and creating a distraction can only make people at BP start directing their attention toward covering themselves, instead of covering the oil well.

If and when the attorney general finds that BP did something illegal, that will be time enough to start a lawsuit. But making a public announcement at this time accomplishes absolutely nothing substantive. It is just more political grandstanding.

This is not about oil. This is about snake oil.

Nothing will keep a man or an institution determined to continue on a failing policy course like past success with that policy. Obama’s political success in the 2008 election campaign was a spectacular triumph of creating images and impressions.

But creating political impressions and images is not the same thing as governing. Yet Obama in the White House keeps on saying and doing things to impress people, instead of governing.

Once the elections were over and the time for governing began, there was now a new audience to consider — a much more savvy audience, the leaders of other countries around the world.”

Lawdy I love Sowell…. amen to that.

In Florida Keys, Residents Plan Their Own Spill Cleanup

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1996441,00.html

“We cannot wait. We have to be prepared,” says Dan Robey, whose website KeysSpill.com has gathered 4,000 volunteers, including 300 boat captains, who have offered to help before and after any potential arrival of oil. As Patrick Rice, dean of marine science and technology at Florida Keys Community College, puts it, “We will not allow the inept responses that have been happening up north to happen here.”

http://www.keysspill.com/
************************************************
My turn on the soap box.

It appears that Keys Residents aim to be proactive after watching the response on Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama marshes and coastlines. I don’t blame them. The response has been less than robust, timely or effective thus far. It has been politicized by those that talked big on “shovel ready” projects then sent Lawyers, Accountants and Political Hacks and Administration Lackies that would not know a shovel from a road apple.

The effort to muster and mobilize resources, get experts and equipment into the fight was totally eclipsed by Press sound bytes from an incompetent Regime and an unforgivable delay in deployment of equipment, material and manpower. The lack of coordination of effort has been characteristic of leading off with Lawyers, Threats and finger wagging as opposed to rolling up sleeves and getting after the solution.

The Investigation can wait. BP and the evidence is not going anywhere. Appointing Committees was another grand blame dodging ploy. The EPA further hindering the economy with the ban on permitting for drilling was another economic kick in the chops to the region that adds further insult to injury.

Every State has a Governor and an Emergency Response Official and Department. They are being treated as bystanders while the Committee muddles through the legalities, could not locate the necessary equipment and resources quickly enough and followed no Existing Plans or Laws that both Mike and Mata have referenced here at FA.

For Governor Jindal to wait weeks for permission to create barriers to protect waterways, marshes and coastline that now have become inundated with oil that will not go away in our lifetimes is inexcusable. And Bobby Jindal has found the time to go out and play golf or throw parties either. He is GOVERNING and MANAGING his resources and fighting the good fight.
Where I come from that is called LEADERSHIP. Large case “L”. Louisiana had the logo of Sportsmans Paradise on their license plates for years. There is trouble in Paradise and it looks pretty damn sporty from what I see on the news or read on the net.

The Federal effort has fallen short and they need an “Operation Overlord” effort, not the current church picnic that has taken place. It appears to be “the least we could do” as the solution is not in hand and the response is insufficient at this time. Lets get the Politics the hell out of the way and get after it with both barrels. It is an Environmental Response Action that cannot be compared to 9.11.01 or Katrina by any cheap Politician that believes that it will raise his poll numbers or get cash into the Campaign coffers. A part of America is in distress and the rhetoric does not suffice for action.

Off my soap box.

* Correction
And Bobby Jindal has NOT found the time to go out and play golf or throw parties either.

@The Dude: crap, all this time i thought he /was/ a sock puppet. Can I vote for a grilled cheese sandwich instead? They are yummy.

At least he is helping the local economy by having his Snow-cone. Then he hops back on AF1 and wings it back to DC.

The guy never stops looking out for us.

“…..like 9/11….”

The Moslems blew it up? Really?

I do recall, now that you mention it, that there were SWAT teams in early on. What happened to them? Reports?

OT, time for an article, you are punching all around the heavy bag, go ahead and unload my friend. I am overloaded with work and a little indisposed, feeling guilty and you are ready to throw those combinations.

The Gulf Spill is complicated, it’s not like you can give Hamas $400 Million because Israel killed nine terrorists.

If the public knew the President was plying golf with a scratch handicap and could possibly end up as good as Tiger once was, they would be more likely to excuse all this golfing; but if he is just a duffer, his concentration on golf instead of gulf becomes inexcusable. The public has a right to know, and yet the government and the press corps or corpse, (Obama Speak) is refusing to divulge the president’s handicap! People are going to be suspicious if this dubious behavior continues.

His taking so long to react goes along with my belief that Obama is just a puppet for others. He is too inexperienced to be able to run all of the departments and other items a president has to.

This also would explain why he has so much time for golf and parties. He has to wait for orders from on high.

U.S. explores foreign assistance in gulf

UPDATE: The State Department has just issued a statement adding to what it said about seeking foreign assistance in the gulf cleanup. The new statement acknowledges that the United States has already accepted foreign assistance with equipment from 17 countries and four international agencies, among them skimmers, booms and other equipment from Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada.

The State Department is now involved in the gulf oil spill cleanup, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports.

In written responses to questions raised earlier in the day, the State Department acknowledged that it has sought information about possible foreign assistance in getting more booms to contain the spill and high-speed skimmers from foreign governments.

In particular, the State Department has asked foreign governments and the European Union about the availability of 18- to 24-inch containment booms and fire booms. So far, it has not issued a formal request, however.

The State Department said the United States would pay for whatever foreign assistance it received.

Following is the State Department response:

• The Department of State has sought information about possible sources of supply and equipment. We have not issued an appeal for assistance.

• The National Incident Command (NIC), headed by the U.S. Coast Guard, is working with the Department of State to support the Unified Area Command (UAC) as it sources equipment, supplies and expertise.

• Department of State assists in this effort to source equipment, supplies and services from foreign governments and international bodies in three ways: 1) receiving offers of assistance, forwarding these offers to the UAC through the NIC, and communicating with those governments and bodies about their offers; 2) reaching out through our posts abroad to locate potential sources of critical supplies and equipment; and 3) supporting BP’s international sourcing through our diplomatic and consular functions, such as reaching out to relevant ministries and expediting visa processing.

• The Unified Area Command has identified a need to locate sources of 18-24″ containment boom and fire boom. On June 10, the Department of State requested information from foreign governments and international bodies, including the EU nations, about possible sources of this equipment and supply. We have begun to receive information and inquiries from governments and private companies worldwide and have shared that with the Unified Area Command. We are also in the process of contacting foreign governments and international bodies to identify possible sources of high speed, high capacity off-shore skimmers.

• With few exceptions, these international offers of assistance are made on a reimbursable basis, which means that the assistance is provided only if paid for by the recipient.

http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/06/14/4509459-us-explores-foreign-assistance-in-gulf
********************************************************
Better late than never?

********************************************************

Why Isn’t That Maine Boom Being Deployed to the Gulf?

As the oil spill crisis has worsened, members of the public and media have seized upon various ways the government could be doing more to either plug the hole or alleviate the environmental damage.

One such story has described boom manufactured by an Auburn, Maine, packaging company called Packgen that’s been sitting in storage waiting to be delivered to the Gulf. Four weeks ago, in four days, Packgen manufactured 80,000 feet of boom, though neither the government nor BP had placed any orders for boom with his company.

John Lapoint III, the president of Packgen, told me Friday that a BP inspector visited his plant two weeks before, and was with him that day, and he didn’t understand why the holdup, given the need for boom.

“We have the capacity to manufacture 42,000 feet of boom per day,” Lapoint told me. “I figured they would need thousands of miles of boom given the magnitude of what’s going on in the Gulf.” He said he has enough raw materials to make half a million feet of boom.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, has expressed frustration at BP taking its time to make assess the boom.

When I mentioned, in vague terms, Lapoint’s frustration, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen asked me to give him the information, which I did.

Over the weekend, Capt. Ron LaBrec from Coast Guard Public Affairs told me that according to a BP quality control inspector the PackGen boom did not pass an initial quality control test.

“Boom is subjected to great wear and tear when placed in the water and must be frequently tended,” LaBrec told me. “In order to retain its effectiveness boom must be of high quality. Once Packgen’s boom passes inspection, the company can be considered as a source for supplying boom.”

LaBrec noted that in the meantime, “suitable boom is being identified and obtained quickly” with 459,000 feet of boom stored in the region in addition to the 2.24 million feet deployed.

So what was wrong with the PackGen boom?

“There were concerns with material and end connectors,” LaBrec said. “BP has inspectors who visit facilities and regularly test boom. In addition to testing boom from new suppliers, boom from existing manufacturers is also tested/inspected. The Coast Guard also inspects boom that we purchase from suppliers. It is important because poorly designed boom may not work as intended.”

Lapoint said the boom “not only meets” standards, “it exceeds it.”

“The only issue was the end connectors,” Lapoint said. So, he said, “we changed it to the universal connector, so there shouldn’t be any problems at all.”

But he remains frustrated. “I had two engineers go down to the Gulf. I was told it had to be the universal connector. I can’t tell you the miles of boom coming in from overseas that doesn’t have the universal connector.” He called the pushback against his boom “hogwash.”

There are specific standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials, an international standards organization, that test methods “to determine strength and buoyancy characteristics for boom and end connectors,” LaBrec told me. “It is the duty of a responsible party to meet the protective requirements for boom, so it is prudent for a company to test the equipment so they know it will perform as designed.” (See below for the applicable cites from ASTM.)

Lapoint said his boom passed ASTM standards “by factor of two.” He says another BP inspector was by on Friday, one who seemed more receptive to his boom.

— Jake Tapper

The applicable cites from ASTM, per the U.S. Coast Guard.

(1) F1093-99(2007) Standard Test Methods for Tensile Strength Characteristics of Oil Spill Response Boom: These test methods cover static laboratory tests of the strength of oil spill response boom under tensile loading.

(2) F2682-07 Standard Guide for Determining the Buoyancy to Weight Ratio of Oil Spill Containment Boom: This guide describes a practical method for determining the buoyancy to weight (B/W) ratio of oil spill containment booms.

(3) F962-04 Standard Specification for Oil Spill Response Boom Connection: Z-Connector: This specification covers design criteria requirements, design geometry, material characteristics, and desirable features for oil spill response boom connections. These criteria are intended to define minimum mating characteristics and are not intended to be restrictive to a specific configuration.

(4) F2438-04 Standard Specification for Oil Spill Response Boom Connection: Slide Connector: This specification covers design criteria requirements, design geometry, material characteristics, and desirable features for oil spill response boom slide connections. These criteria are intended to define minimum mating characteristics and are not intended to be restricted to a specific configuration. It defines the geometry required to mate with typical Universal slide connectors or Specification F 962 connectors with web thickness up to 0.3 in. Some very heavy-duty or PVC connectors may exceed this dimension and not be compatible.

(5) F2084-01(2007)e1 Standard Guide for Collecting Containment Boom Performance Data in Controlled Environments: This guide covers the evaluation of the effectiveness of full-scale oil spill containment booms in a controlled test facility. It involves the use of specific test oils that may be considered hazardous materials. It is the responsibility of the user of this guide to procure and abide by the necessary permits for disposal of the used test oil.

(6) F2152-07 Standard Guide for In-Situ Burning of Spilled Oil: Fire-Resistant Boom: This guide covers a set of criteria to evaluate the performance, material characteristics, and essential features of fire-resistant oil spill containment boom. It covers two types of fire-resistant oil containment boom: those that are intrinsically fire-resistant through the use of fire-resistant materials, and those that provide fire-resistance through the use of coolants. It is one of four related to in-situ burning of oil spills. Guide F 1788 addresses environmental and operational considerations, Guide F 1990 addresses ignition devices, and Guide F 2230 addresses burning in ice conditions.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/06/why-isnt-that-maine-boom-being-deployed-to-the-gulf.html

*********************************************************************
Must not be Union Made Boom I reckon….

Gibbs on Fox this am. Declaring Nobama is using all resources. He is a putz. Claims they have approved all the requests from Jindel a long time ago. also claims they would use the dutch ships but they were never offered.

Bush didn’t run to the golf course after standing on the pile of rubble.

A Five Pager from the New York Times:

Efforts to Repel Oil Spill Are Described as Chaotic

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/science/earth/15cleanup.html?pagewanted=1

“The present system is not working,” Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said Thursday at a hearing in Washington devoted to assessing the spill and the response. Oil had just entered Florida waters, Senator Nelson said, adding that no one was notified at either the state or local level, a failure of communication that echoed Mr. Bonano’s story and countless others along the Gulf Coast.

“The information is not flowing,” Senator Nelson said. “The decisions are not timely. The resources are not produced. And as a result, you have a big mess, with no command and control.”

Unclear Leadership

“At the very least, these plans, which devote pages and flow charts to command structure, were meant to have an efficient hierarchy in place as soon as a spill occurred. That structure has often been unwieldy, and to some, hardly evident at all.

“I still don’t know who’s in charge,” Billy Nungesser, the president of Plaquemines Parish, said at the Senate hearing on Thursday, seven weeks after the Deepwater Horizon rig sank. “Is it BP? Is it the Coast Guard?”

Governance is inherently complicated by the players who are thrown together: BP officials work alongside federal officials who rebuke them publicly, and federal officials work closely with officials at the state level, who have been equally public in their condemnation of the response.

Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, for example, has drawn local support for his fact-filled critiques of the response plans, but every 48 hours a state representative cooperates on those same plans with BP and the Coast Guard.

“I told him, when he signs the plan he’s endorsing our projects,” said Captain Laferriere, adding that he and the representative sit in the same office. “Louisiana is still learning the process.”

But Garret Graves, the governor’s senior coastal adviser, said that the state’s power was limited: the state strongly disapproves of the amount of chemical dispersant being used, he said, and feels that the supply of boom is drastically inadequate.

The main problems, many here say, have been sluggish response times and a consistent impression that no one is in charge.
*******************************************************

IS IN IT DIGUSTING to hear the conflicts they give to MR LAPOINTE of MAIN BOOMs, an AMERICAN company, who, as soon as the disaster occured, went into action to produce thoses necessary booms as a priority, to start the help on LOUISIANA’s demand for help; SHAME on thoses responsible for that vicious opposition, using all kinds of excuses for not accepting thoses bomms: DO they tink that the AMERICANS are not seeing what they are doing?, just let them read the reaction of the people on the web. 🙄 I beleive the words of that company as true, over socall experts who are along with government leaders, waisted unreparebles time.

THIS DESASTER IS THE FIRST: So solutions must be seriously wheight on, but actions are prioritys, and thoses who live there have a legitimite concern on using chimicals dispersant; because they also think of the consequenses of that on fishs and all living beens,being the experts on the knowledge of their land, it’s obvious to see that they care of the future’s after. A MARSH DESTROYED is forever dead

@Old Trooper: Sounds to me like it is time for the Gulf Coast states to take charge and get together and clean up the oil on the water themselves, then bill BP or the Federal government for it.

@The Dude: Gibbs on Fox this am. Declaring Nobama is using all resources. …. snip….. also claims they would use the dutch ships but they were never offered.

This may be entirely correct, The Dude. The USCG discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using the same technology to outfit ships. There are only about 5-6 such ships in the world, and what is the likelihood they are inclined to lease them out long term, and leave themselves stuck without in case of a local emergency.

Also… again… the separators on these big skimmers do not meet the EPA BS standards for water/oil discharge.

Smorgasbord, it would be nice, however if they use equipment not EPA approved, or personnel not properly trained in the fed’s eyes, it can be severe penalties and/or fines, or in some instances, criminal actions.

@MataHarley: I’m guessing that if the governors get together and form their own commission to clean up their coast that it would all be under the proper rules, but I also think they wouldn’t worry about being prosecuted by Obama if what they do doesn’t conform to ALL Federal regulations.

It would be like an old west sheriff not doing anything about the rustlers stealing cattle, so the ranchers go after the rustlers themselves, so the sheriff arrests the ranchers.