Frustrated Fla. County Takes Spill Cleanup Into Its Own Hands: Coastal Panhandle community says it's tired of the 'bureaucratic shuffle' and can battle oil spill destruction better than the federal government.
Meanwhile, there's
this over at ABC News:
- Sixteen barges sat stationary today, although they were sucking up thousands of gallons of BP's oil as recently as Tuesday. Workers in hazmat suits and gas masks pumped the oil out of the Louisiana waters and into steel tanks. It was a homegrown idea that seemed to be effective at collecting the thick gunk.
But the Coast Guard ordered the stoppage because ...the Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges.
The governor said he didn't have the authority to overrule the Coast Guard's decision, though he said he tried to reach the White House to raise his concerns.
"They promised us they were going to get it done as quickly as possible," he said. But "every time you talk to someone different at the Coast Guard, you get a different answer."
After [the governor] strenuously made his case, the barges finally got the go-ahead today to return to the Gulf and get back to work, after more than 24 hours of sitting idle.
Fifty-nine days into the crisis, it still can be tough to figure out who is in charge in Louisiana, and the problem appears to be the same in other Gulf Coast states.
In Alabama today, Gov. Bob Riley said that he's had problems with the Coast Guard, too.
So, we've got equipment that can stop the oil and the feds shut it down (at least temporarily) because they aren't sure if there's enough fire extinguishers on board?
Geez. How many millions of gallons of oil hit the beach because of this?
