May 1, 2010 - President Barack Obama sent Justice Department investigators and military aircraft to the Gulf of Mexico Friday in response to the growing fear of environmental damage from the April 20 massive oil spill.
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Gov. Charlie Christ arrived in Florida’s Panhandle and is scheduled to tour staging areas for response operations to a spreading oil slick.
“I am going to see what is being done to help with the oil spill and how we can protect our shoreline,” Crist said. “We could be facing an environmental and economic catastrophe.”
Crist was joined by Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael W. Sole.
Crist declared a state of emergency for six Panhandle counties saying the spill from the Deepwater Horizon platform threatens Florida’s coasts “with a major disaster.”
While Crist called for 30,000 feet of inflatable containment booms, state officials said they are largely ineffective at this time due to high winds and strong waves that wash the sill over the booms.
Obama has asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to review what went wrong when the drilling rig exploded into flames on April 20 and sank two days later.
President Obama said he continues to believe domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security as long as it’s done responsibly.
But lawmakers from Florida and up the East Coast called on Obama to shelve new lease plans.
Louisiana officials banned fishing and harvesting of oysters in some waters east of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
In order to see if any laws were broken in the operation of the rig Attorney General Eric Holder announced he sent a team of Justice Department prosecutors to the Golf Coast. They will monitor the unfolding disaster.
“While we appreciate the White House's announcement that no additional offshore drilling will be authorized until a full investigation of the accident is complete, we urge you to go further and reverse your decision on proposed new offshore oil and gas drilling for the outer continental shelf,'' said a letter from four New Jersey lawmakers, Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg and Reps. Frank Pallone and Rush Holt.
``The best assurances and technology of the oil industry have not been good enough to either prevent or contain this oil spill,'' said Catherine Wannamaker, a lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center. ``No known, available technology fully cleans oil from wetlands and marshes that protect Southern coastal communities in storms and shelter valuable wildlife and seafood nurseries.''
There has yet to be any cause given for the April 20 explosion.
President Obama appears determined to show he and his administration are responding quickly to the unfolding disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Related:
Officials respond to magnitude of Gulf Coast oil spill (Photos, Video)
BP said an accident was virtually impossible that would lead to giant oil spill
Gulf of Mexico oil spill: BP says some progress made to plug a leak
Source:
Miami Herald
Comments
President Obama and his administration have done nothing but launch investigations.
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