U.S. Senator Susan Collins said:
“It’s clear that Americans, especially those who live along the affected areas of the Gulf Coast, are frustrated with the response of both BP and the Obama Administration. I believe that the Administration should immediately convene a task force of national and international government and private sector engineering, environmental, and oil industry experts to explore every possible means to halt the gushing oil flow and to protect the fragile marshes, barrier islands, and coastlines.”
“Every day the Administration delays is another lost opportunity to find solutions. BP appears to lack the equipment and know-how to deal with this disaster and did not plan for this worst-case scenario. I am extremely concerned that the advent of the hurricane season will further imperil the Gulf Coast states.”
Oil spill cleanup by the numbers to date (Photo Credits - courtesy of PhotoStudio.org):
- SBA has approved 36 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling $1,257,000, for small businesses in Louisiana impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 272 existing SBA disaster loans in the Gulf Coast region, totaling $1,123,300 per month in payments.
- 17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla., Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla., Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.
- More than 20,000 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines.
- More than 1,900 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.
- The administration has authorized 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to participate in the response to the BP oil spill.
- Approximately 2 million feet of containment boom and 2.3 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 745,000 feet of containment boom and 2.1 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
- Approximately 15 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
- Approximately 1.02 million gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—765,000 on the surface and 255,000 subsea. More than 450,000 gallons are available.
- 125 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 3.2 million gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.
