Friday, 300-400 people were brought into Grand Isle, Louisiana to help with the oil spill clean-up during Obama’s visit to the area, and were let go as soon as the President left, according to Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts who told the story to CNN on Friday.
The additional workers were brought in early Friday on, "a number of buses brought in approximately 300 to 400 workers that had been recruited all week," Roberts said. The workers were paid $12 an hour for the day, and were instructed not to speak to local emergency management staff.
Roberts called it a "dog and pony show," and said that he has never seen more than 20 workers at the Grand Isle site since cleanup efforts began, and that he found it highly suspicious that 300-400 people show up on the same day and beach as the day the President visited.
See the CNN video below.
BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles was asked about the claim and his response was: "These individuals are working out in the heat of the sun. These are long days. They start early in the morning and they stop early in the evening. So the fact that they were leaving the location late in the afternoon was not unusual. It's not associated with the president arriving."
Suttles said that the workers would return Saturday morning.
To see photos taken last weekend of the oil spill along the Louisiana coastline and the wildlife it has affected, click here.
This weekend BP should know if the top kill procedure is working or if they will move on to a back-up plan. For more on that story, click here.
A week ago, BP approved 6 machines from Kevin Costner that they will test that recycle water and separate the oil from the ocean. For more on that story, click here.
Earlier this week, a new video of the gushing oil had many of the investigative teams calling BP untrustworthy because more oil was leaking from the well then they originally claimed. For more on that story, click here.
This week an oil leak was discovered in Utah that has been spilling toxic chemicals into the environment for over a year. Nine Mile Canyon in Utah is the location of the oil leak and water quality in the area has far exceeded normal limits. John Hollenhorst from KSL reported on the story and compared it to the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, and although the Utah leak is considerably smaller cleanup efforts will be significant.
If you liked this article, please click on the subscribe button above to receive an email when new articles are published by this examiner.
French Open 2010 updates (Photos): Roddick, Henin, Nadal advance
Recent articles from this examiner:
BP is optimistic about top kill, but has several back-up plans if it doesn’t work (photos)
50,000 people ascend on Arizona to protest immigration law; Tea Party boycotts the boycott (photos)
Ginger McGuire files lawsuit against United Airlines after being left on airplane (video)
Top kill has some success with oil spill; Obama triples cleanup help along Louisiana coast (photos)
Gary Coleman dies and is survived by wife, Shannon Price (photos and videos)
Sloops charged with aggravated murder for Ethan Stacy’s death (photos)
Gary Coleman died Friday in Utah after his life support was turned off (photos)
Gary Coleman is in critical condition in a Utah hospital
Ken Starr, celebrity investment advisor arrested for Ponzi scheme
Comments