Oil Harder to Find Near BP Site
In his Wednesday press briefing, National Incident Commander for the Gulf Oil Spill Thad Allen reported that the capped well in the Gulf of Mexico was continuing to report increasing pressure readings and to maintain a stable temperature. On Tuesday he said, "The well continues to be secure and demonstrate integrity."
The static kill maneuver is expected to begin early next week. Weather should not be an issue as these efforts move forward. While there is the potential for scattered thunderstorms, the wind and wave heights will be typical for this time of year.
NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco participated in the press briefing on July 28. Lubchenco spoke about, "where the oil has gone, where it will go" and discussed ongoing efforts to "determine the extent of the damages to the Gulf seacoast system."
Lubchenco reported that more than 600 miles of shoreline had been oiled. But with the well being capped for 12 days, less oil is being found on the surface of the water. She also said that natural dispersion and biodegradation has been occurring.
On Wednesday, Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft said, "What we see right now are light bands of oil. We're running over 122 flights in a very concentrated area and detecting very little recoverable oil."
Allen said, "Regarding the oil, there are a lot of things that impact oil when it's on the surface, and there's a lot of things we do to try and remove it. As you know, mechanical skimming is part of that. We did over 400 in situ burns. We applied dispersants. We are not doing that anymore, because there's not a need to do that, and there is evaporation, and then there's natural weathering of the oil."
Allen is meeting with parish presidents in New Orleans on Thursday to discuss "ongoing response operations."
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