BP Oil Spill: Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard

[Midnight Mike]

17-June

BP Oil Spill: Against Gov. Jindal's Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard

59 Days Into Oil Crisis, Gulf Coast Governors Say Feds Are Failing Them

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-g ... d=10946379 (http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-gov-bobby-jindals-wishes-crude/story?id=10946379)

Eight days ago, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ordered barges to begin vacuuming crude oil out of his state's oil-soaked waters. Today, against the governor's wishes, those barges sat idle, even as more oil flowed toward the Louisiana shore.

Sixteen barges sat stationary today, although they were sucking up thousands of gallons of BP's oil as recently as Tuesday. Workers in hazmat suits and gas masks pumped the oil out of the Louisiana waters and into steel tanks. It was a homegrown idea that seemed to be effective at collecting the thick gunk.

"These barges work. You've seen them work. You've seen them suck oil out of the water," said Jindal.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-g ... d=10946379 (http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-gov-bobby-jindals-wishes-crude/story?id=10946379)

[Tom_Turner]

You just know none of this particular type of nonsense would be going on if Guiliani were President. Or, at least I know it anyway.

Tom

[cancidas]

You just know none of this particular type of nonsense would be going on if Guiliani were President. Or, at least I know it anyway.

Tom
agreed! honestly now i can't believe that so little international aide has been accepted. i know Iran offered multiple times but our good president wouldn't even hear it. life goes on, and more of our world is destroyed by greed. simply sad.

[moose135]

Yeah, those bastards in the Coast Guard, they shut down them down for a day while they checked that they had proper safety gear on board. What were they thinking?


i know Iran offered multiple times but our good president wouldn't even hear it.
And I can hear the outrage from the right wing if he had accepted help from Iran...

[T-Bird76]

Yeah, those bastards in the Coast Guard, they shut down them down for a day while they checked that they had proper safety gear on board. What were they thinking?


i know Iran offered multiple times but our good president wouldn't even hear it.
And I can hear the outrage from the right wing if he had accepted help from Iran...

The Coast Guard could have performed an in service check vs. forcing them to go ashore John. If they found the barges were a safety hazard during the inspection then they could have taken them out of service. The Coast Guard does this everyday. The problem is this disaster crosses so many agencies that Jindl is right in saying no one is really in command. Or the person who is in command hasn't been given the authority to oversee and overrule the other agencies involed, which is what I'm thinking is more the case.

The fact you have 2000 Gov't and private vessels of all sizes out their aiding in the control of the oil is basically a cluster F#%K of unimaginable proportions. BP better stop this flow before a tropical storm or hurricane form in the Gulf or the coast line is going to a lost cause.

As for the Iran comments, do you really think Iran a country that barely can't even refine its own oil is going to be able handle a spill like this, considering they themselves never suffered such an event?

[moose135]

As for the Iran comments, do you really think Iran a country that barely can't even refine its own oil is going to be able handle a spill like this, considering they themselves never suffered such an event?
Of course the Iranian offer was more about politics than anything else, I just don't understand people bashing Obama over not welcoming them with open arms. Oh, and by the way, the last time there was a disaster in that area, Iran offered 20 million barrels of oil (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4218986.stm) to cover for disruptions in US production from the Gulf. The previous administration rejected that offer. They also rejected or wasted millions of dollars and dozens of offers of aid (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801113.html) from other countries, including many of our closest allies.

[mirrodie]

COast Guard acted appropriately. On sight service check is fine but if there was an emergency that occurred at that moment, then there'd be 2 disasters.

Its the usual damned if you do damned if you dont

[T-Bird76]

As for the Iran comments, do you really think Iran a country that barely can't even refine its own oil is going to be able handle a spill like this, considering they themselves never suffered such an event?
Of course the Iranian offer was more about politics than anything else, I just don't understand people bashing Obama over not welcoming them with open arms. Oh, and by the way, the last time there was a disaster in that area, Iran offered 20 million barrels of oil (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4218986.stm) to cover for disruptions in US production from the Gulf. The previous administration rejected that offer. They also rejected or wasted millions of dollars and dozens of offers of aid (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801113.html) from other countries, including many of our closest allies.

Jon we don't need aid from other countries and while the offers are honorable we simply don't need it. The U.S has enough resources from private and public organizations to take care of our own....we often F it up and probably still would with aid from other nations but the fact is we are blessed enough on our own.

People are going to bash Obama even if he personally handed out million dollar checks to the effected residents, they did it to Bush who in retrospect did a pretty damn good job with the Katrina relief. Dig through the muck of what the media covered and you'll find it. Obama is doing what he can within the boundaries of what the Federal gov't can do, you know that and I know that but people think the White House should cure all of our ills. Like Bush, Obama can't Federalize the relief efforts as that's not Constitutional. Sometimes our own system of checks and balances works against us and slows us down. Lets just hope this spill can be stopped sooner rather then later.

[T-Bird76]

COast Guard acted appropriately. On sight service check is fine but if there was an emergency that occurred at that moment, then there'd be 2 disasters.

Its the usual damned if you do damned if you dont

Mario your misinformed.. The Coast Guard didn't follow their own rules and regulations and without due cause forced vessels out of service. btw...the Coast Guard never performed any inspection on those barges and let them back into service. The issue here isn't just a safety check but command and control, who is in command, who is calling the shots, and who is setting the rules? Yes these vessels need to follow proper Coast Guard regulation but enforcement can't be haphazard and in consistent where the concern for life vests delay more coast line, marshes, wildlife being destroyed.

[NIKV69]

Safety check? What could these barges pose worse than what is happening? Even if we had a total explosion of one of them it couldn't be even close to what is happening already. Thousands of gallons of crude is spilling into the gulf and we should be doing anything that sucks it out or burns it off. I have to say I though all the criticism of Obama was a little off base in the beginning but I am starting to wonder if Rahm was right and you milk every disaster for what it's worth. I think Obama has done Jindal wrong and I think every thing that could help in any way should be allowed in without question. As for Iran their efforts of course are political propaganda and are looking for leverage to keep making nukes. In a way I can see it's probably wise to not deal with them at this point but Obama could have allowed as many sand barriers as they wanted and this should have been allowed as well.

[cancidas]

man i am so tired of politics being used a cause and excuse for everything. this oil spill is literally destroying the gulf of mexico with each gallon that leaks. we as humans, not as a country but as human beings are both responsible for the accident itself and now the cleanup of the spill.

my comment on the Iran offer of help is based on obama's petty ignorance of the offer. it's the same was a 3rf grader acts when someone hurts thier feelings. instead of acting as he had, especially as the self proclamed "man in charge" of the relief efforts obama is in the position to take any offer of assistance seriously and evaluate if the country or company making the offer is actually in a position of helping. this is no time to play politics or favourites or any other stupid game. now is the time to act, to do whatever is necessary to stop the leak and clean up the mess. people's lives and livelyhoods are at stake, as is the gulf of mexico itself. i'm no tree hugger by far, but we as a human race have this one planet to live on. destoying it would be like performing Seppuku.

[moose135]

Safety check? What could these barges pose worse than what is happening? Even if we had a total explosion of one of them it couldn't be even close to what is happening already.
Is that what you would tell the families of the workers on those barges if that happened?

[NIKV69]

Is that what you would tell the families of the workers on those barges if that happened?

I don't know what should we tell the families of everyone who lives and works in the Gulf? Who will probably have to move and start over because people are making this an drill in partisan politics. Sure in certain cases you have go by the book but when you are in a real crisis this goes out the window and real leadership is needed. Which Obama has time and time again shown to not have. Don't get me wrong Bush failed at Katrina just as bad but Katrina was 5 years ago and this is now. Katrina was water which once is gone the area can be rebulit and businesses restored but this is toxic oil and there will be no future. There isn't time for this crap any barge, ship, technique etc should have been thrown into the mix. The talking points, rhetoric and cop outs should have been set aside. Like Tommy said the inspections could have been done while they were doing what had to be done but for them so be sitting idle is just another faux pax due to a person who had no executive, leadership skills and who is only good at rabble rousing up a crowd and it just shows more and more how incredibly inept our president is. He better get a handle on this quick.