Jindal Fumes Over Sand-Berm Fiasco, Obamoratorium
In New Orleans this afternoon, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal let fly with a torrent of invective in describing the red tape surrounding the federal government’s shutdown of the state’s dredging operations in the Chandeleur Islands. Jindal not only challenged the wisdom of the Interior Department’s order to stop the dredging, he noted that the management of the Chandeleur’s by the federal Department of Fish and Wildlife has been an exercise in abject failure.
“We got word yesterday that federal officials were going to shut down our dredging operations on the North Chandeleur Islands and those operations were indeed stopped under the federal government’s command at 6PM last night.
“Our request here today is simple,” said the governor. “We are again calling on the federal government to allow us to continue these dredging operations as we mobilize pipe for another two miles – which will take around just seven more days. Getting this pipe in place without stopping the dredging operations will allow us a seamless transition as we move the dredge to a new borrow site. After this pipe is in place, our dredger can disconnect and move to the next site where it can then resume dredging operations in just one day.
“We have told Col. Lee of the Army Corps of Engineers and every federal agency that we are in an emergency situation here. This is a disaster for our state. Days count. Hours count. We cannot wait for more conference calls and meetings for discussions. We need to adapt to the situation on the ground and continue our dredging operations for as long as possible until we can move to the next borrow site and continue to create sand boom.”
Over 5,000 feet of sand berm has been created in the Chandeleurs, in addition to 2.5 miles at East Grand Terre. Jindal has previously noted that sand berm can be highly effective in trapping oil, thus keeping it from coming inland into Louisiana’s estuaries and marshes.
“We have jumped through every hoop that the federal government has placed in front of us since this spill started,” he seethed. “On May 2, we submitted our initial boom plan to the Incident Command Post since there was not a plan. When BP and the Coast Guard were unable to provide the appropriate boom resources, we began developing innovative solutions like Tiger Dams, air-dropping sand bags, Hesco baskets, opening all freshwater diversions, vacuum barges and many other alternatives.
“On May 11th, we submitted a proposal to the regulatory agencies, BP and the Coast Guard to approve our sand berms. It took almost a month for the federal government to approve the plan and make BP pay for the work. Meanwhile, we had millions of gallons of oil covering our wetlands, killing our wildlife and forcing our people out of work.”
Jindal then took aim at the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service, which controls the Chandeleurs as a wildlife refuge. He showed a map of the erosion of the chain from 2001 to 2005 and delved into a short history of the disappearing islands.
“People used to live on these islands,” he noted. “It was a fishing community and even had some farming. From the mid-90′s until recently, the islands lost up to 300 feet per year under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service management.
“Now, this same agency has concerns that we are not being sensitive to the islands by wanting to continue to dredge for seven more days to ensure a smooth transition?
“They have not invested a penny in this area and are allowing it to erode at extraordinary rates. Meanwhile, they invest millions in other refuges in other parts of the country.
“Louisiana’s coast is one our most important resources. That is why we are fighting so hard to protect our wetlands, protect our fisheries and birds and to protect our way of life from this oil spill – with these sand booms.
Jindal then answered the concern that dredging where the state has dredged is a hazard to the islands due to currents and tides.
“We have said from the beginning that we would backfill any dredging that would adversely affect these islands. That commitment still stands. Shutting down dredging operations while oil continues to hit our shores and the oil continues to flow into the Gulf is absolutely absurd. We need to act now.
“The area where the state was dredging remains within the area permitted by the federal government. When the dredging contractor began operations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service voiced objections to the location of the dredge. In an effort to prevent delay to the project, we worked out an agreement that would provide for backfilling the dredge site and the movement of the dredge vessel to a new location. The state remains committed to moving the dredge to another location within the permitted area and backfilling the first dredge site.”
The Governor then launched into a long riff on the Obamoratorium and the federal government’s attempts to stand it back up after U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman dismantled it with a preliminary injunction yesterday.
“The federal judge’s ruling yesterday to grant an immediate injunction on President Obama’s deepwater drilling moratorium was welcome news. We absolutely agree with the judge’s conclusion that the Administration’s six-month, or longer, shut down of deepwater drilling was ‘arbitrary and capricious.’
“Not only does the moratorium threaten thousands of direct jobs in our state, it also jeopardizes many other industries that supply our oil and gas industry and the entire communities that depend on them. It is also deeply concerning that the President’s moratorium was enacted against the judgment of the Department of the Interior’s own expert advisors and scientists.
“The Administration now says that they will immediately appeal the ruling. They just don’t seem to understand that you can’t just turn a switch on and off with these rigs. When they leave our coast to produce oil in other parts of the country or the world, the jobs that support them go too. We absolutely do not want another spill or one more drop of oil on our coast or in our water, but thousands of Louisianians should not have to lose their jobs because the federal government can’t adequately do their job of ensuring drilling is done safely.
“The federal government has an entire agency dedicated to monitoring safe drilling. It shouldn’t take them six-months or longer to ensure safety measures are in place and their laws and regulations are being followed. Instead of an arbitrary moratorium, the Administration should listen to their own experts and enact the specific recommended steps from their own experts to ensure proper oversight and safe drilling.
“As Judge Feldman stated in his preliminary injunction ruling yesterday, ‘…the Secretary’s determination that a six-month moratorium on issuance of new permits and on drilling by the thirty-three rigs is necessary does not seem to be fact-specific and refuses to take into measure the safety records of those others in the Gulf. There is no evidence presented indicating that the Secretary balanced the concern for environmental safety with the policy of making leases available for development. There is no suggestion that the Secretary considered any alternatives: for example, an individualized suspension of activities on target rigs until they reached compliance with the new federal regulations said to be recommended for immediate implementation.’”
The Governor added, “The Commission that was supposed to study the moratorium for the President for six months now says they won’t have their first meeting until mid-July and they won’t finish their report until next year.
“I want to be very clear on this point. Each month that the work of the Commission is delayed means another month that thousands of Louisiana people won’t be able to work. Each month that the work of the Commission is delayed, we expect additional energy companies to move existing deepwater rigs to other parts of the world and/or to plan new deepwater drilling capacity for other parts of the world in lieu of the Gulf – further extending and expanding job losses in Louisiana. Each month that the work of the Commission is delayed will result in the loss of approximately $65 to 135 million in Louisiana wages.
Jindal also noted that the Obama administration’s claim that BP will be picking up the tab for losses suffered as a result of the Obamoratorium is spurious.
“Moreover, the $100 million set aside by BP to offset the wage losses of deepwater rig workers will cover only a few weeks of lost wages for those workers – and these funds will do nothing to offset the hundreds of millions in wage losses for workers in support industries that count on deepwater drilling activity for their livelihood. Today, BP told us for the first time that they will not pay for moratorium-related losses above the $100 million.”
"Law Enforcement" is The One's enabler. HOW LONG before you will call them what they are?
Please stop spamming the comments section with cryptic and kooky references. Provide specifics or ply your wares elsewhere.
"Law Enforcement" is The One's enabler. HOW LONG before you will call them what they are?
Please stop spamming the comments section with cryptic and kooky references. Provide specifics or ply your wares elsewhere.
If you're speaking of Eric Holder, I'd have to agree with you. Nothing is going to improve until we get rid of him, Obama or both. They are hand-in-glove complicit in all the Administrative criminality.
Sorry, Macaoidh. saw this on the ID profile and had to chime in. Very nice site. I wish you guys the best down there in LA.
If you're speaking of Eric Holder, I'd have to agree with you. Nothing is going to improve until we get rid of him, Obama or both. They are hand-in-glove complicit in all the Administrative criminality.
Sorry, Macaoidh. saw this on the ID profile and had to chime in. Very nice site. I wish you guys the best down there in LA.
The barrier island barrier is a joke. This project was conjured up with absolutely no science on the back of an envelope by the governor's advisor who has no engineering or science background and only a high school degree. They are taking sand set aside for important coastal restoration projects and wasting the sand on sand castles that will be washed way by the first minor weather incident. You can't restore the integrity of the seabottom by putting the sand back because by then it's destabilized. This is basic geology. We need to get more skimmer vessels out and stop using the dispersants which simply hide the oil.
You are terribly uninformed, as sand berms have already been shown to work in capturing oil and keeping it away from the marshlands. That those berms may not be permanent is a feature of sorts, rather than a bug, where long-term effects are concerned. Besides, sand berms are included in oil spill response plans the federal government has had for two decades.
Not sure where you get your information, but to call sand berms a "joke" is simply an ignorant and false statement.
Here's a clue for you, go to the source for your facts instead of OFA. mmmmkay
The plans submitted for Louisiana were not on the back of a napkin. It was a professional 64 page document.
http://www.lacpra.org/assets/docs/NIC_Sandbarrier…
The barrier island barrier is a joke. This project was conjured up with absolutely no science on the back of an envelope by the governor's advisor who has no engineering or science background and only a high school degree. They are taking sand set aside for important coastal restoration projects and wasting the sand on sand castles that will be washed way by the first minor weather incident. You can't restore the integrity of the seabottom by putting the sand back because by then it's destabilized. This is basic geology. We need to get more skimmer vessels out and stop using the dispersants which simply hide the oil.
You are terribly uninformed, as sand berms have already been shown to work in capturing oil and keeping it away from the marshlands. That those berms may not be permanent is a feature of sorts, rather than a bug, where long-term effects are concerned. Besides, sand berms are included in oil spill response plans the federal government has had for two decades.
Not sure where you get your information, but to call sand berms a "joke" is simply an ignorant and false statement.
Here's a clue for you, go to the source for your facts instead of OFA. mmmmkay
The plans submitted for Louisiana were not on the back of a napkin. It was a professional 64 page document.
http://www.lacpra.org/assets/docs/NIC_Sandbarrier…
The parish/county sheriffs of each parish/county along the gulf are the chief law enforcement authority elected by the people. Every parish/county should immediately pass a law stating that the parish/county councils have supreme authority to protect the coastline and that anyone interfering with their efforts is committing a crime punishable by a the maximum amount of time in the rooms with bars in the county allowed by state law. Then the county officials should do what they need to do. If Holder or any other federal officials physically come into the county to file anything with the courts they should be arrested and immediately placed in the parish/county jails.
For Liberty,
Cold Warrior http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com
Know Democrats, Know Despair
No Democrats, No Despair
The parish/county sheriffs of each parish/county along the gulf are the chief law enforcement authority elected by the people. Every parish/county should immediately pass a law stating that the parish/county councils have supreme authority to protect the coastline and that anyone interfering with their efforts is committing a crime punishable by a the maximum amount of time in the rooms with bars in the county allowed by state law. Then the county officials should do what they need to do. If Holder or any other federal officials physically come into the county to file anything with the courts they should be arrested and immediately placed in the parish/county jails.
For Liberty,
Cold Warrior http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com
Know Democrats, Know Despair
No Democrats, No Despair
macaoidh
You're obviously clueless.
While berms are in those plans as potential part of a much larger spill response picture, there is nothing in those plans that says the State should create an ineffectual "Maginot Line" of unstable sand berms as the sole response to a spill. There is also nothing in those plans that says the State should remove sand from areas immediately adjacent to the barrier islands as this undermines the structural integrity of the islands. Replacing loose sand as Jindal and Graves propose after removing the remnants of firm structural sand left behind by deltaic formation centuries ago shows a fundamental lack of understanding of geology. That's why no coastal scientist will sign off on this plan which was created without any scientific input for the benefit of Shaw and dredging contractors who will no doubt support Jindal's renewed presidential aspirations.
Total mischaracterization of the sand berm plan. No support for any of your arguments. And a big pile of conspiracy-theory crap sprinkled on top – you obviously aren't aware that the CEO of the Shaw Group is the former head of the Louisiana Democrat Party; to assume that this is a ploy to get Jindal elected president is a woefully inadequate bit of reasoning. In fact, the project manager for Shaw's dredging program is a former top official with the Corps of Engineers, which might indicate he has a little understanding of how dredging affects coastline, and the NOAA had previously indicated sand berms as an accepted response. The Corps of Engineers had as well. Your statements would indicate you believe there are no coastal scientists at either the Corps or NOAA, and that would make you clueless.
Sorry but you completely miss the point. You still don't get it.
first, it seems you are politically naive. Shaw is a huge contributor to Jindal and has always played both sides of the political fence. How else could they control most of the State's business for years no matter who is in power?
as to the vast science you see in this project, all the contractors are doing is carrying out the project. Any idiot can dig sand and put it in another location. That's basically offshore backhoes. You don't even need a high school degree to do that. oh. that brings me to Garrett Graves.
It is the project itself that has no science. No scientists were involved in Graves ' plan. He has a high school background and no scientific knowledge to support what he is doing.Even the Corps, which has historically shown incredible environmental blindness, is against digging sand out of an environmentally sensitive area and dumping it in an area will it will last a few weeks or at best months. That's why they stopped the project. If Jindal followed the requirements of the permit, and dug sand form the right locations, everything would be fine, and he could waste as much of BP's money as he wants.
Lastly, as to proof, name one coastal scientist who supports the "sandy band-aid" program.
Sorry what was that name again ?
macaoidh
You're obviously clueless.
While berms are in those plans as potential part of a much larger spill response picture, there is nothing in those plans that says the State should create an ineffectual "Maginot Line" of unstable sand berms as the sole response to a spill. There is also nothing in those plans that says the State should remove sand from areas immediately adjacent to the barrier islands as this undermines the structural integrity of the islands. Replacing loose sand as Jindal and Graves propose after removing the remnants of firm structural sand left behind by deltaic formation centuries ago shows a fundamental lack of understanding of geology. That's why no coastal scientist will sign off on this plan which was created without any scientific input for the benefit of Shaw and dredging contractors who will no doubt support Jindal's renewed presidential aspirations.
Total mischaracterization of the sand berm plan. No support for any of your arguments. And a big pile of conspiracy-theory crap sprinkled on top – you obviously aren't aware that the CEO of the Shaw Group is the former head of the Louisiana Democrat Party; to assume that this is a ploy to get Jindal elected president is a woefully inadequate bit of reasoning. In fact, the project manager for Shaw's dredging program is a former top official with the Corps of Engineers, which might indicate he has a little understanding of how dredging affects coastline, and the NOAA had previously indicated sand berms as an accepted response. The Corps of Engineers had as well. Your statements would indicate you believe there are no coastal scientists at either the Corps or NOAA, and that would make you clueless.
Sorry but you completely miss the point. You still don't get it.
first, it seems you are politically naive. Shaw is a huge contributor to Jindal and has always played both sides of the political fence. How else could they control most of the State's business for years no matter who is in power?
as to the vast science you see in this project, all the contractors are doing is carrying out the project. Any idiot can dig sand and put it in another location. That's basically offshore backhoes. You don't even need a high school degree to do that. oh. that brings me to Garrett Graves.
It is the project itself that has no science. No scientists were involved in Graves ' plan. He has a high school background and no scientific knowledge to support what he is doing.Even the Corps, which has historically shown incredible environmental blindness, is against digging sand out of an environmentally sensitive area and dumping it in an area will it will last a few weeks or at best months. That's why they stopped the project. If Jindal followed the requirements of the permit, and dug sand form the right locations, everything would be fine, and he could waste as much of BP's money as he wants.
Lastly, as to proof, name one coastal scientist who supports the "sandy band-aid" program.
Sorry what was that name again ?
Here's an email I sent to the White House, Bobby Jindal, and many others regarding how to stop the oil leak instantly, i.e., 'Implode the Well!":
IMPLODE THE WELL, STUPID!
I've done a great deal of research, beginning the second day following the BP oil rig incident to determine the best and most timely method of completely stopping this oil leak. My first thought was to nuke the well with a low-yield thermonuclear device, like the Russians did decades ago with notable success. Since we can't use nukes due to existing treaties, I think that powerful conventional explosives would most certainly implode the well and stop the leak immediately, completely, and permanently. Red Adair killed hundreds of wells in Kuwait in 1991 using conventional explosives, working with a real president and leader, George W. Bush. Check it out on redadair.com and click on Kuwait.
BP knows that this can be successfully done in short order–it's proven science, but this foreign company is so greedy and thoughtless regarding American lives and environmental impact, that they are willing to sacrifice the entire gulf coast to make a buck. The resulting toxicity of this spill will not only destroy the seafood industry, livelihoods, and the environment for many years to come, but will also take its toll in human lives–cancers, brain tumors and other health horrors will result, possibly into future generations, and We the People will hold the guilty parties responsible. This disaster not only affects the coast, but will greatly impact our entire country. This spill could even round the Florida keys and head up the east coast. Hussein Obama is beholden to BP for the million dollars he received from them for his political campaign, so we can't expect any help from this so-called president. Even if Obama wanted to help, he is totally ineffectual in terms of leadership ability; he's inept, indecisive, self-serving, sociopathic, and a man of words only–no substance. Only by ordering the immediate implosion of this well can his political future possibly be salvaged, but I don't think he has what it takes to implement such an order. This disaster will most certainly be the 'kiss of death' for him politically. We the People say, "Barry, this buck stops with you, bucko! Implode the well or expect dire political and legal consequences".
This means that We the People must immediately and decisively move on this in a very aggressive manner. I will be blogging about this issue and talking with my Tea Parties and others here in southeast Louisiana regarding viable and timely options. I also will be forwarding this email to various individuals, groups, and organizations, including political leaders throughout the country. We expect real action from our conservative political leaders, and all who seek justice, truth, and life over lies, tyranny and death. We say, implode the damn hole! And soon!
Respectfully, Dennis Keehn of Lacombe.
Here's an email I sent to the White House, Bobby Jindal, and many others regarding how to stop the oil leak instantly, i.e., 'Implode the Well!":
IMPLODE THE WELL, STUPID!
I've done a great deal of research, beginning the second day following the BP oil rig incident to determine the best and most timely method of completely stopping this oil leak. My first thought was to nuke the well with a low-yield thermonuclear device, like the Russians did decades ago with notable success. Since we can't use nukes due to existing treaties, I think that powerful conventional explosives would most certainly implode the well and stop the leak immediately, completely, and permanently. Red Adair killed hundreds of wells in Kuwait in 1991 using conventional explosives, working with a real president and leader, George W. Bush. Check it out on redadair.com and click on Kuwait.
BP knows that this can be successfully done in short order–it's proven science, but this foreign company is so greedy and thoughtless regarding American lives and environmental impact, that they are willing to sacrifice the entire gulf coast to make a buck. The resulting toxicity of this spill will not only destroy the seafood industry, livelihoods, and the environment for many years to come, but will also take its toll in human lives–cancers, brain tumors and other health horrors will result, possibly into future generations, and We the People will hold the guilty parties responsible. This disaster not only affects the coast, but will greatly impact our entire country. This spill could even round the Florida keys and head up the east coast. Hussein Obama is beholden to BP for the million dollars he received from them for his political campaign, so we can't expect any help from this so-called president. Even if Obama wanted to help, he is totally ineffectual in terms of leadership ability; he's inept, indecisive, self-serving, sociopathic, and a man of words only–no substance. Only by ordering the immediate implosion of this well can his political future possibly be salvaged, but I don't think he has what it takes to implement such an order. This disaster will most certainly be the 'kiss of death' for him politically. We the People say, "Barry, this buck stops with you, bucko! Implode the well or expect dire political and legal consequences".
This means that We the People must immediately and decisively move on this in a very aggressive manner. I will be blogging about this issue and talking with my Tea Parties and others here in southeast Louisiana regarding viable and timely options. I also will be forwarding this email to various individuals, groups, and organizations, including political leaders throughout the country. We expect real action from our conservative political leaders, and all who seek justice, truth, and life over lies, tyranny and death. We say, implode the damn hole! And soon!
Respectfully, Dennis Keehn of Lacombe.
[...] here is what Gov. Bobby Jindal had to say about this decision: In New Orleans this afternoon, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal let fly with a torrent of invective in [...]
I wonder where Dennis got his research from and what he actually knows about geology and how to kill wells?
FYI, most of the wells in Kuwait were killed via smothering them with nitrogen introduced in massive amounts via gas turbine exhaust.