DEANO BONANO, director, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Homeland Security Chief: Last week, we picked up oil about 20 miles off our coast, and we gave BP the lat and long coordinates of it and so, man, go out there and skim it, start attacking it before it gets here. Nothing. Fourteen miles the next day, same thing, nothing -- 10 miles, five miles, every day, closer and closer. They took no action.
Two days ago, it started coming on our beaches, still no action. The problem is, is BP is a company run by petroleum engineers, administrators, oil pushers, et cetera. And they're trying to run an emergency operation with people who aren't trained for emergency management or emergency response. We quickly realized yesterday that, if we are going to try to save our coast, we have got to take over.
TOM BEARDEN: And take over they did, using a state law that allows local officials to assume control in a crisis.
DEANO BONANO: I informed them yesterday we were commandeering their access, since they had a whole fleet of boats anchored behind an island doing nothing because they said they couldn't communicate with them, they were having a problem getting fuel, ice. The bottom line is, within an hour, our fire and police men had it organized and had those boats on the move and were attacking the oil coming onshore.
TOM BEARDEN: So, yesterday, there were 50 fishing boats offshore trailing booms to corral surface oil, soak it up and take it back to shore.
DEANO BONANO: We spent the entire day cleaning the inside of the bay. And it's still not done. Today, the oil coming into the bay is a lot lighter than it was yesterday. Yesterday, it was really heavy oil. So, we were able to catch up a little bit today, but, essentially, the damage is done.
TOM BEARDEN: Bonano says repeated appeals to federal officials have gone unanswered.
DEANO BONANO: Deafening silence. Our governor is screaming at the top of his lungs for the federal government to act, and they are not acting.
TOM BEARDEN: Are you surprised that they're not acting?
DEANO BONANO: Yes, we're very surprised. It's almost as if they are more on BP's side than they are our side. How do you let the company who caused the damages be in charge of cleaning up and responding to that damage? It is like putting the chicken in charge of the -- or the fox in charge of the henhouse.
-AND-
TOM BEARDEN: And it's not just about the money. For sportsmen like Paul Rougeau, it is a way of life. He runs a swimming pool business for a living, but his passion is catching fish. He spent the whole weekend fishing in the deepwater areas that are still open.
PAUL ROUGEAU, recreational fisherman: There is a potential threat that I will never be able to do this again if my life. I understand that. So -- but that's why we have been going every weekend and tearing it up.
TOM BEARDEN: He's been all up and down the coast and is very skeptical of those booms that are supposed to protect the shore.
PAUL ROUGEAU: It's not doing anything.
TOM BEARDEN: Why do you say that?
PAUL ROUGEAU: Because, on the backside of the booms, there's -- still looks like you spilled gasoline in the water.
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Two days ago, it started coming on our beaches, still no action. The problem is, is BP is a company run by petroleum engineers, administrators, oil pushers, et cetera. And they're trying to run an emergency operation with people who aren't trained for emergency management or emergency response. We quickly realized yesterday that, if we are going to try to save our coast, we have got to take over.
TOM BEARDEN: And take over they did, using a state law that allows local officials to assume control in a crisis.
DEANO BONANO: I informed them yesterday we were commandeering their access, since they had a whole fleet of boats anchored behind an island doing nothing because they said they couldn't communicate with them, they were having a problem getting fuel, ice. The bottom line is, within an hour, our fire and police men had it organized and had those boats on the move and were attacking the oil coming onshore.
TOM BEARDEN: So, yesterday, there were 50 fishing boats offshore trailing booms to corral surface oil, soak it up and take it back to shore.
DEANO BONANO: We spent the entire day cleaning the inside of the bay. And it's still not done. Today, the oil coming into the bay is a lot lighter than it was yesterday. Yesterday, it was really heavy oil. So, we were able to catch up a little bit today, but, essentially, the damage is done.
TOM BEARDEN: Bonano says repeated appeals to federal officials have gone unanswered.
DEANO BONANO: Deafening silence. Our governor is screaming at the top of his lungs for the federal government to act, and they are not acting.
TOM BEARDEN: Are you surprised that they're not acting?
DEANO BONANO: Yes, we're very surprised. It's almost as if they are more on BP's side than they are our side. How do you let the company who caused the damages be in charge of cleaning up and responding to that damage? It is like putting the chicken in charge of the -- or the fox in charge of the henhouse.
-AND-
TOM BEARDEN: And it's not just about the money. For sportsmen like Paul Rougeau, it is a way of life. He runs a swimming pool business for a living, but his passion is catching fish. He spent the whole weekend fishing in the deepwater areas that are still open.
PAUL ROUGEAU, recreational fisherman: There is a potential threat that I will never be able to do this again if my life. I understand that. So -- but that's why we have been going every weekend and tearing it up.
TOM BEARDEN: He's been all up and down the coast and is very skeptical of those booms that are supposed to protect the shore.
PAUL ROUGEAU: It's not doing anything.
TOM BEARDEN: Why do you say that?
PAUL ROUGEAU: Because, on the backside of the booms, there's -- still looks like you spilled gasoline in the water.
- bill 5-25-2010 1:46 pm