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Politics : The Obama - Clinton Disaster -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (31782)	6/15/2010 1:06:43 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 103300

Re: "I don't believe it, where does it support your claim?" From all the news: (Behind the scenes Louisiana's government is demanding that only US dredges be used (meaning local-based, so more money for the locals although a MUCH LONGER time before those sand berms can ever be completed considering the shortage of available US dredges. Probably way too long to protect the marshes and inland areas). US only has about 1/5th. the Dutch dredging capacity: A month after the spill, U.S. to receive foreign aid Four weeks after the nation's worst environmental disaster, the Obama administration saw no need to accept offers of state-of-the-art skimmers, miles of boom or technical assistance from nations around the globe with experience fighting oil spills. By Juliet Eilperin and Glenn Kessler The Washington Post seattletimes.nwsource.com ...In some cases, the administration rejected offers because they failed to meet U.S. specifications: the private Norwegian consortium that serves as that nation's spill-response team uses a chemical dispersant that the Environmental Protection Agency has not approved. In other cases, domestic politics are at play. Dutch authorities have worked in Louisiana since Katrina hit and were among the first to offer to help. After some hesitation, BP has obtained the state-of-the-art Dutch skimmers, two of which are in operation. Meanwhile, a massive sand-dredging operation is moving slowly. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's plan to create sand berms to keep oil from reaching the coastline originally came from the marine contractor Van Oord and the research institute Deltares, both in the Netherlands. BP pledged $360 million for the plan, but U.S. dredging companies — which have less than one-fifth of the capacity of Dutch dredging firms — have objected to foreign companies' participation. Garret Graves, who chairs Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, wrote in an e-mail that state officials "have made it clear to our contractors from the beginning that we want to use American dredges to complete this sand berm as quickly as possible. ... Ultimately, any effort to expedite these berms will be fully considered, but we remain committed to our American companies." In the meantime, governments around the world are mobilizing help. In addition to boom, Canada has dispatched an aircraft for surveillance flights as well as several technical experts. Japan is still offering to send boom; the Swedish Coast Guard said it can send three ships that can each collect 370 barrels of oil an hour, but it is waiting to hear from the U.S. government or BP. The Norwegian Coastal Authority has approved sending nearly a third of the nation's spill-response equipment to the gulf if asked. "We want to help the U.S. with whatever they need," said Espen Myhra, energy counselor at the Norwegian Embassy. "But of course, it's up to the U.S. and BP to decide what they need, and we will respond to that." USA: Officials Consider to Use Foreign Help for Oil Spill Posted on Jun 15th, 2010 dredgingtoday.com ... U.S. dredging companies — which have less than one-fifth of the capacity of Dutch dredging firms — have objected to foreign companies’ participation. Garret Graves, who chairs Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, wrote in an e-mail that state officials “have made it clear to our contractors from the beginning that we want to use American dredges to complete this sand berm as quickly as possible . . . Ultimately, any effort to expedite these berms will be fully considered, but we remain committed to our American companies.” ...The Norwegian Coastal Authority has approved sending nearly a third of the nation's spill response equipment to the gulf if asked. cbsnews.com google.com