Washington, D.C.—(ENEWSPF)—September 27, 2010. Paul Zukunft:        Well, good afternoon.  Thank you for joining us.  And again, it’s great to be joined by NOAA, our scientific support coordinator, and also with David who represents academia as we look at this phase of the operation, as we look at what’s below the[Read More…]

NEW ORLEANS–(ENEWSPF)–Sept. 24, 2010.  The following information is an operations update from the Unified Area Command for the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Approximately 22,632 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline, wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines. Currently, 1,381 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs,[Read More…]

NEW ORLEANS–(ENEWSPF)–September 23, 2010.  An historic government-to-government tribal consultation was held in New Orleans Sept. 17, 2010. Initiated and hosted by Federal On-Scene Coordinator Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft, the meeting was the largest of several inter-governmental consultations between federally recognized American Indian tribes and the federal government to[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–September 21, 2010. Paul Zukunft:        OK, good afternoon everybody.  This is Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft, Federal on-scene coordinator and I’ve down here for over 3-1/2 months now and I’ve been overseeing the response aspect of this operation. In my operation and in Admiral Allen’s, we’re split between surface and[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–September 21, 2010.  NOAA today reopened to commercial and recreational fishing 7,970 square miles of Gulf waters along the southern boundary of the federal closed area. This area is about 60 nautical miles off of central Louisiana and about 140 nautical miles off Mississippi, Alabama, and the western edge[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–September 20, 2010.  On Monday, Sept. 20, 2010, the Unified Area Command, formed in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, will consolidate Incident Command Posts in Houma, La., and Mobile, Ala., into a Gulf Coast Incident Management Team located in New Orleans. The planned reorganization of the command[Read More…]

WASHINGTON, DC–(ENEWSPF)–September 20, 2010.  Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu issued the following statement yesterday regarding the permanent plugging of BP’s Macondo well. “With the successful first intercept by the relief well and our confirmation through pressure tests that the cement plugs are secure, we[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–Setember 19, 2010.  “Today, we achieved an important milestone in our response to the BP oil spill – the final termination of the damaged well that sat deep under the Gulf of Mexico. I commend Admiral Thad Allen, Secretaries Salazar, Chu, Napolitano, Administrators Jackson and Lubchenco, Carol Browner, the[Read More…]

HOUSTON–(ENEWSPF)–September 19, 2010.  BP today confirmed that well kill operations on the MC252 well in the Gulf of Mexico are now complete, with both the casing and annulus of the well sealed by cement. The MC252 well has been shut-in since July 15 and cementing operations in August, following the[Read More…]

HOUSTON–(ENEWSPF)–September 19, 2010.  The following statement was released by BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay on completion of the MC252 Relief Well in the Gulf of Mexico. Today’s completion of relief well operations on the Macondo well is a significant technological accomplishment and another important milestone in our continued[Read More…]