Sen. LeMieux: "The Spill is Evolving??"

Press Release

U.S. Senator George LeMieux (R-FL) today expressed concern the Obama Administration still fails to embrace the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico with the urgency it demands.

"I am outraged that more than 70 days into this spill, the Administration still fails to address this crisis with the urgency it demands. At the White House today, officials claimed the spill has evolved, and that is why an emphasis on skimmers has been absent until recently. That explanation is beyond belief. In the time they have begun to turn their attention to the skimmer issue, the spill has grown larger and the oil stains on our beaches have grown thicker. It's not only oil washing up on our beaches, it is failure," said LeMieux. "The Administration needs to get its act together and approve super-skimmers like the Taiwanese "A Whale' and get them to work. Every available skimmer should be headed the Gulf and they should have been headed there 50 days ago. It makes no sense these resources weren't tapped earlier."

BACKGROUND:

6/14 -- Sen. LeMieux and Congressman Jeff Miller (R-Chumuckla) send letter to President Obama asking him to waive portions of the Jones Act so as to allow more resources to take part in oil mitigation activities in the Gulf. The lawmakers also call on the president to press British Petroleum to expedite the payment of claims.

6/15 -- Sen. LeMieux is in Pensacola and asks President Obama and National Incident Commander, Admiral Thad Allen to clear the way for more skimmers for Florida and the Gulf.

6/16 -- Coast Guard Rear Admiral J.A. Watson sends a memo to National Incident Command that there are not enough assets responding to the spill and additional "domestic and foreign" oil spill response vessels are needed.

6/17 -- Sen. LeMieux meets with National Incident Commander, Admiral Thad Allen for a briefing on the government's ongoing efforts to contain and mitigate the spill. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection states there are only 20 oil skimming vessels operating off the coast of Florida.

6/29 -- On day 70 of the Gulf Crisis, the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency issue an emergency temporary interim rule clearing the way for hundreds of more skimmers to be able to respond to the Gulf crisis.

For regular updates about the gulf oil spill, visit http://LeMieux.Senate.gov.

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