On August 10, officials from the City of Apalachicola along with other local government officials attended a meeting held by Unified Command Incident Commanders Captain Steve Poulin and BP Representative Bryant Chapman at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce.
Poulin and Bryant called the meeting to discuss with local governments the "right-sizing" of Unified Command operations in wake of the successful killing of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil well.
Poulin told those in attendance that at this point there were little to no risk of oil escaping from the capped and cemented well. He further explained that in the past 12-days, Unified Command hasn’t seen any offshore or nearshore oil that needed skimming and that fewer tar balls are now affecting area beaches.
The Coast Guard has already removed most of the skimmers deployed along the Gulf of Mexico to decontamination areas. After decontamination, the skimmers will be prepositioned for an additional period until Unified Command can fully execute their transition plan to where their resources match their operational requirements.
Poulin also reported that they have dramatically reduced both the beach cleanup and the Vessels of Opportunity programs.
During the height of the disaster Unified Command had around 1,500 to 2,000 vessels patrolling the Gulf looking for oil, the number is now closer to 400.
Poulin and Bryant called the meeting to discuss with local governments the "right-sizing" of Unified Command operations in wake of the successful killing of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil well.
Poulin told those in attendance that at this point there were little to no risk of oil escaping from the capped and cemented well. He further explained that in the past 12-days, Unified Command hasn’t seen any offshore or nearshore oil that needed skimming and that fewer tar balls are now affecting area beaches.
The Coast Guard has already removed most of the skimmers deployed along the Gulf of Mexico to decontamination areas. After decontamination, the skimmers will be prepositioned for an additional period until Unified Command can fully execute their transition plan to where their resources match their operational requirements.
Poulin also reported that they have dramatically reduced both the beach cleanup and the Vessels of Opportunity programs.
During the height of the disaster Unified Command had around 1,500 to 2,000 vessels patrolling the Gulf looking for oil, the number is now closer to 400.
Boom removal is also high on the Coast Guard priority list. The Federal agency is trying to remove as much of it as quickly as possible to prevent the boom from creating a greater risk to the environment and property by becoming missiles if caught during a storm event.
The Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection also reported that they would continue to sample the waters and test fish for traces of oil.
Bryant assured the group that the BP response is not over; he stated that the oil giant is looking into transitioning from an Incident Command type structure to restoration.
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