Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–September 13, 2010.
PAST 24 HOURS
Statement from National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen on the Relief Well
“After extensive consultation between BP engineers and the federal science team, as well as reviewing data collected from measurements I authorized Friday, the Development Driller III today began the final steps towards the completion of the relief well that will intercept the Macondo 252 well and perform the bottom kill procedure.
“This accelerated progress was possible after several discussions between BP and the federal scientists and engineers, leading to the installation of a lock-down device over the weekend, which resulted in the necessary conditions to commence the finalization of the relief well. I will continue to provide updates on the progress of the relief well, the final step that will ensure the well is fully and finally killed, as necessary.”
Director Bromwich Hosts Eighth and Final Fact-Finding Forum in Lafayette, Louisiana
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Director Michael R. Bromwich hosted the eighth and final public forum in Lafayette, La.—part of a series designed to collect information and views from academia; the environmental community; federal, state and local officials; and the oil and gas industry on technical issues related to deepwater drilling safety reforms, well containment, and oil spill response.
Director Bromwich will consider this feedback in evaluating whether to recommend any modifications to the scope or duration of the deepwater drilling suspensions announced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on July 12. Previous meetings were held in New Orleans, La.; Mobile, Ala.; Pensacola, Fla.; Santa Barbara, Cali.; Anchorage, Alaska; Houston, Texas; and Biloxi, Miss.
FWS Personnel Continue Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Missions Across the Region
From Houma, La., Incident Command Post, 131 personnel and 49 vessels have been deployed for reconnaissance and recovery operations, responding to 40 calls on the Wildlife Hot Line. From the Mobile, Ala., Incident Command Post, 21 two-person teams and 12 vessels participated in reconnaissance and wildlife rescue and recovery missions, responding to 18 calls. To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.
Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $26.3 Million
SBA has approved 306 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling more than $26.3 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 927 existing SBA disaster loans in the region, totaling more than $5.1 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].
Independent Gulf Coast Claims Facility Disbursements Surpass $112 Million
Since the BP oil spill response began, the administration has worked to hold the responsible parties accountable for repairing the damage, and repaying Americans who have suffered a financial loss—first by directing BP to improve its claims process and then by establishing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), the independent agency administered by Kenneth Feinberg which was formed in June as part of an agreement between the Obama Administration and BP.
To date, 56,119 claims have been opened through the GCCF, from which more than $112 million have been disbursed—in addition to the more than 150,000 claims filed and $395 million disbursed through the BP claims process. For information on how to file a claim, visit the Gulf Coast Claims Facility Web site. Additional information about the 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, 996 are active.
- Approximately 25,200 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
- More than 3,000 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 764,000 feet of containment boom* and 9.5 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 3.02 million feet of containment boom and 2.4 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.
- 15 staging areas are in place to protect sensitive shorelines.
- Approximately 112 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently experiencing moderate to heavy oil impacts—approximately 101 miles in Louisiana, 9 miles in Mississippi and 2 miles in Florida. Approximately 497 miles of shoreline are experiencing light to trace oil impacts—approximately 231 miles in Louisiana, 90 miles in Mississippi, 62 miles in Alabama, and 114 miles in Florida. These numbers reflect a daily snapshot 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 39,885 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in order to balance economic and public health concerns. Approximately 83 percent is now 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.
Source: deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
