The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill

Prepared by the Joint Information Center

UPDATED September 8, 2010 7 PM

* For a full timeline of the Administration-wide response, visit the White House Blog.

Past 24 HOURS

Admiral Allen Provides an Update on the BP Oil Spill Response

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen provided a briefing to inform the American public and answer questions on the administration-wide response to the BP oil spill. A full transcript is available here. 

Admiral Allen provided details on the next steps for completing the relief well. "Think of the bottom kill as being divided now into two parts in sequence," he said. "The first part will be done from the top of the cement that's currently in the well.  The second will be done at the annulus down near the reservoir itself.  That'll be done in sequence.  The top one will be done first; the bottom one will be done second.  The top one will be done with Development Driller II that's currently over the well and latched on to the BOP.  The bottom portion or the second portion will be done by executing the intercept, the relief well, and then cementing it from the bottom up. So the two-part process will involve Development Driller II doing the top and Development Driller III doing the bottom, and it will be done in sequence." 

Administration Sends Sixth Bill to BP for $128.5 Million

In an effort to be transparent and ensure that the American public is not held accountable for the costs of response and recovery activities, the Obama Administration today sent a fifth bill for $128.5 million to BP and other responsible parties for response and recovery operations relating to the BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. This is the sixth bill the Administration has sent to date. BP and other responsible parties have paid the first four bills in full—totaling $389.9 million. 

As a responsible party, BP is financially responsible for all costs associated with the response to the spill, including efforts to stop the leak at its source, reduce the spread of oil, protect the shoreline and mitigate damages, as well as long term recovery efforts to ensure that all individuals and communities impacted by the spill are made whole. For more information about the Administration’s bills to responsible parties, click here. 

FWS Personnel Continue Wildlife Rescue and Recovery Missions Across the Region

From Houma, La., Incident Command Post, 168 personnel and 53 vessels have been deployed for reconnaissance and recovery operations, responding to 31 calls on the Wildlife Hot Line. From the Mobile, Ala., Incident Command Post, 21 two-person teams and 12 vessels participated in reconnaissance and wildlife rescue and recovery missions, responding to 21 calls. To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401. 

Shoreline Cleanup Operations Continue Along the Gulf Coast

As part of continued efforts to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats from the impacts of the BP oil spill, FWS and National Parks Service cleanup crews continued shoreline cleanup operations at Gulf Islands National Seashore and at FWS refuges—removing oil debris from Cat Island (2,640 lbs), Fort Pickens (3,485 lbs), Horn Island (3,840 lbs), Ivan’s Cut (1,000 lbs), Perdido Beach (473 lbs), Perdue Beach (590 lbs), Petit Bois Island (2,440 lbs), Santa Rosa (3,219 lbs) and West Ship Island (1,150 lbs). 

Approved SBA Economic Injury Assistance Loans Surpass $25.7 Million

SBA has approved 298 economic injury assistance loans to date, totaling more than $25.7 million for small businesses in the Gulf Coast impacted by the BP oil spill. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 921 existing SBA disaster loans in the region, totaling more than $5.1 million per month in payments. For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. 

Independent Gulf Coast Claims Facility Disbursements Surpass $71.2 Million

Since the BP oil spill response began, the administration has worked to hold the responsible parties accountable for repairing the damage, and repaying Americans who have suffered a financial loss—first by directing BP to improve its claims process and then by establishing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF), the independent agency administered by Kenneth Feinberg which was formed in June as part of an agreement between the Obama Administration and BP. 

To date, 49,038 claims have been opened through the GCCF, from which more than $71.2 million have been disbursed—in addition to the more than 150,000 claims filed and $395 million disbursed through the BP claims process. For information on how to file a claim, visit the Gulf Coast Claims Facility Web site. Additional information about the claims process and all available avenues of assistance can be found at www.disasterassistance.gov. 

By the Numbers to Date:

• The administration has authorized the deployment of 17,500 National Guard troops from Gulf Coast states to respond to this crisis; currently, 1,017 are active. 
• More than 25,300 personnel are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife and cleanup vital coastlines. 
• Approximately 3,800 vessels are currently 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. 
• Approximately 1.33 million feet of containment boom* and 9.43 million feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 3.05 million feet of containment boom and 2.22 million feet of sorbent boom are available. 
• More than 34.7 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered. 
• Approximately 1.84 million gallons of total dispersant have been applied—1.07 million on the surface and 771,000 sub-sea. Approximately 577,000 gallons are available. 
• 411 controlled burns have been conducted, efficiently removing a total of more than 11.14 million gallons of oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife. Because calculations on the volume of oil burned can take more than 48 hours, the reported total volume may not reflect the most recent controlled burns.  
• 15 staging areas are in place to protect sensitive shorelines. 
• Approximately 114 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline is currently experiencing moderate to heavy oil impacts—approximately 103 miles in Louisiana, 9 miles in Mississippi and 2 miles in Florida. Approximately 508 miles of shoreline are experiencing light to trace oil impacts—approximately 245 miles in Louisiana, 91 miles in Mississippi, 59 miles in Alabama, and 113 miles in Florida. These numbers reflect a daily snapshot so that planning and field operations can more quickly respond to new impacts; they do not include cumulative impacts to date, or shoreline that has already been cleared. 
• Approximately 39,885 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in order to balance economic and public health concerns. Approximately 83 percent is now open. Details can be found at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/.  
• To date, the administration has leveraged assets and skills from numerous foreign countries and international organizations as part of this historic, all-hands-on-deck response, including Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization, the European Union’s Monitoring and Information Centre, and the European Maritime Safety Agency. 

*The decrease in boom numbers is due to the continued recovery of displaced boom. Once recovered, this boom must be decontaminated, repaired, inspected, and certified before being staged or redeployed. New boom is being deployed in some areas.   

Resources:

• For information about the response effort, visit www.RestoreTheGulf.gov. 
• For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill. 
• To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (713) 323-1670. 
• To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities can also be found here. 
• To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call 281-366-5511. 
• To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.  
• For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill. 
• For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm. 
• For Fish and Wildlife Service updates about response along the Gulf Coast and the status of national wildlife refuges, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/. 
• For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. 
• For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. 
• For information on how to file a claim, visit the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) Web site. In addition, www.disasterassistance.gov has been enhanced to provide a one-stop shop for information on how to file a claim and access additional assistance—available in English and Spanish.  
• Any members of the press who encounter response personnel restricting their access or violating the media access policy set forth by Admiral Allen should contact the Joint Information Center. Click here for more information, including a list of regular embed opportunities. 

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