Published: April 29, 2010 at 4:35 PM
NEW ORLEANS, April 29 (UPI) -- The oil slick oozing from the explosion-toppled oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico prompted Louisiana's governor to declare an emergency Thursday.
Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement released by his office the declaration was needed to prepare for the predicted impact of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon on the Louisiana coast, which could threaten the state's natural resources.
Jindal's executive order noted scientific models indicate the oil spill could reach parts of the Louisiana coastline sometime Thursday, and Breton Sound and Chandeleur Sound by Saturday with the Pass a L'Outre Wildlife Management Area expected to see the first effects.
Jindal said "a minimum of 10 additional state and national wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges in Louisiana and Mississippi are in the direct path of the oil plume and can be expected to be impacted."
Jindal authorized the director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and all state agencies to undertake all "necessary and appropriate" legal action to deal with the spill.
President Barack Obama addressed the situation prior to another event in the White House's Rose Garden, saying he's been receiving frequent updates.
Obama said while oil producer British Petroleum is "ultimately responsible" for paying the cost of response and cleanup operations, his administration "will continue to use every single available resource at our disposal, including potentially the Department of Defense," to address the April 20 incident that left 11 workers missing and presumed dead.
The president noted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has designated the spill of "national significance" and the Interior Department will be sending teams to the gulf to inspect all platforms and rigs.
"And I have ordered the secretaries of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as Administrator Lisa Jackson of the Environmental Protection Agency, to visit the site on Friday to ensure that BP and the entire U.S. government is doing everything possible, not just to respond to this incident, but also to determine its cause," Obama said.
The New York Times reported sea and wind conditions Thursday hampered the cleanup efforts, including a controlled burn of some of the floating oil.
"We are being very aggressive, and we are prepared for the worst case," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice O'Hare told reporters.
Federal investigators said earlier they were trying to determine why the oil rig's "fail-safe" safety valve didn't work, allowing large amounts of crude oil to flow out, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Thursday.
Unmanned submarines that arrived soon after the explosion couldn't activate the blowout preventer, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Tony Hayward, BP chief executive officer, said learning why the blowout preventer didn't activate was a key question in the investigation.
"This is the fail-safe mechanism that clearly has failed," Hayward told the Journal.
Officials said a third leak was found in the oil well and the amount of crude spilling into the gulf has grown to 5,000 barrels a day.
Environmental officials say they are concerned the slick could affect oyster, shrimp and speckled trout nurseries, as well as nesting grounds for brown pelicans, laughing gulls and other birds.
Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/04/29/Oil-rig-safety-valve-failure-investigated/UPI-56151272517197/
Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement released by his office the declaration was needed to prepare for the predicted impact of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon on the Louisiana coast, which could threaten the state's natural resources.
Jindal's executive order noted scientific models indicate the oil spill could reach parts of the Louisiana coastline sometime Thursday, and Breton Sound and Chandeleur Sound by Saturday with the Pass a L'Outre Wildlife Management Area expected to see the first effects.
Jindal said "a minimum of 10 additional state and national wildlife management areas and wildlife refuges in Louisiana and Mississippi are in the direct path of the oil plume and can be expected to be impacted."
Jindal authorized the director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and all state agencies to undertake all "necessary and appropriate" legal action to deal with the spill.
President Barack Obama addressed the situation prior to another event in the White House's Rose Garden, saying he's been receiving frequent updates.
Obama said while oil producer British Petroleum is "ultimately responsible" for paying the cost of response and cleanup operations, his administration "will continue to use every single available resource at our disposal, including potentially the Department of Defense," to address the April 20 incident that left 11 workers missing and presumed dead.
The president noted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has designated the spill of "national significance" and the Interior Department will be sending teams to the gulf to inspect all platforms and rigs.
"And I have ordered the secretaries of Interior and Homeland Security, as well as Administrator Lisa Jackson of the Environmental Protection Agency, to visit the site on Friday to ensure that BP and the entire U.S. government is doing everything possible, not just to respond to this incident, but also to determine its cause," Obama said.
The New York Times reported sea and wind conditions Thursday hampered the cleanup efforts, including a controlled burn of some of the floating oil.
"We are being very aggressive, and we are prepared for the worst case," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice O'Hare told reporters.
Federal investigators said earlier they were trying to determine why the oil rig's "fail-safe" safety valve didn't work, allowing large amounts of crude oil to flow out, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Thursday.
Unmanned submarines that arrived soon after the explosion couldn't activate the blowout preventer, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Tony Hayward, BP chief executive officer, said learning why the blowout preventer didn't activate was a key question in the investigation.
"This is the fail-safe mechanism that clearly has failed," Hayward told the Journal.
Officials said a third leak was found in the oil well and the amount of crude spilling into the gulf has grown to 5,000 barrels a day.
Environmental officials say they are concerned the slick could affect oyster, shrimp and speckled trout nurseries, as well as nesting grounds for brown pelicans, laughing gulls and other birds.
Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/04/29/Oil-rig-safety-valve-failure-investigated/UPI-56151272517197/
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