CNN "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" - Transcript
Interview
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KAYE: Senator, if a major storm does strike the Deepwater Horizon area, and cleanup operations there are actually shut down for more than a week or maybe even 10 days, I know that you're paying attention to the math here, as much as 60,000 barrels of oil leaking a day. Ten days, that means another 600,000 barrels of oil could spread into the Gulf completely unchecked.
You sent a letter about this to Thad Allen yesterday asking what the Navy and Coast Guard are doing to prepare for this.
Have you received any response? SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Not yet. But I expect to, because we need to preposition a surge capability that, when they would have to move out of the way of the storm, and before they could get back attached, all that extra oil going into the Gulf, we need extra ships out there scooping up that oil after the storm passes.
And that probably is going to be U.S. Navy ships. They could get them prepositioned in the vicinity, in port, and then go in after the storm.
KAYE: And, in terms of a detailed plan, I know that -- that you want to have one. But what would you like to see, more skimmers, more ships waiting in the wings?
NELSON: The Incident Command has known that they have Navy skimmers in ports, over 40 around the country. But only six have been requested.
But they have identified another 27 that could come. Why aren't those 27 on trailers right now, coming to the Gulf Coast to be positioned in the bays, in the calm waters, where they can scoop up the oil before it gets into the marsh grasses?
KAYE: BP has said that it's developing a new containment response, as they call it, that will help the cleanup operators connect and disconnect oil recovery systems faster. So, this way, they say that they would have fewer disruptions during the storms.
Is BP moving fast enough on this for you?
NELSON: No. And saying something like that, what, are you going to reduce it from 10 days lost to seven days? You're still going to have 420,000 barrels have gushed un -- unobstructed into the Gulf.
KAYE: And, as we head into full-blown hurricane season, how concerned are you that this may really be the first of many disruptions to the oil spill response and the cleanup?
NELSON: Well, the greatest nightmare, with this storm approaching, is that it takes this oil on the surface of the Gulf and blows it over the barrier islands into the bays and the estuaries.
And that is where you really get the -- the enormous destruction, because it's just very difficult to clean up those pristine bays.
KAYE: Thank you for your time, Senator Bill Nelson.
NELSON: Yes, ma'am.
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