Oil Spill in the Gulf

Mass Evacuation from Gulf Coast?

June 14, 2010

Fellowship of Minds - In the last couple of days, there’s increasing chatter on the net that the Obama administration is planning a mass evacuation of residents from the Gulf coast. Fellowship of the Minds endeavors to avoid posting sensationalist alarmist material, but I’m posting these alerts for the following reasons:

1. We cannot trust either British Petroleum or the White House because, from the very beginning of the oil rig explosion and the subsequent oil leak gush, both had known the true extent of the spill but both deliberately downplayed the number of galllons spilled per day, as well as the devastating impact on wildlife, the economy of the Gulf coast, and human health. See “Rolling Stone Indicts Obama for Gulf Oil Disaster.”



2. Each day, we find out that the scope of the disaster is much greater than we are told. Independent scientists have sighted multiple oil plumes. The latest is that the ocean floor of the Gulf itself may be damaged — all of which is denied and unacknowledged by BP and the White House.



3. We are also not told about the truth of the oil dispersant, Corexit, that BP is using, which is not only toxic to marine and human life but is less effective than other dispersants. There are also questions whether oil dispersant should even be used because it merely improves the surface appearance by breaking the oil into smaller droplets; it does not remove the oil.



4. Knowing that a mass evacuation cannot be lightly undertaken but requires much planning, I note with interest these three recent developments:

• Late last Wednesday night, the FAA announced it’s closing the airspace over the Gulf coast to all planes “except those flights authorized by ATC, routine flights supporting offshore oil operations; federal, state, local and military flight operations supporting oil spill recovery and reconstitution efforts; and air medical and law enforcement operations.”



• The U.S. Northern Command recently conducted a training exercise at Naval Station Norfolk. USNORTHCOM was established Oct. 1, 2002 to provide command and control of Department of Defense homeland defense efforts and to coordinate defense support of civil authorities. As described by NorthCom, the exercise was Citadel Protect 2010 (CP10): ”a U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Navy Installations Command-led training event designed to assess the Navy’s capability to protect ships against various potential threats in Navy ports. The training presented Sailors with different scenarios, which required them to respond quickly and effectively. The use of realistic simulations and Hollywood-style special effects, including pyrotechnics, added to the authenticity of the training experience.” Capt. Sam McCormick, director for fleet antiterrorism at U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said “This exercise was a tactical-level exercise specifically focused at testing our tactics, techniques and procedures at the waterfront scene.” [See excerpt from article below.]



• On April 30, 2010, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal sent letters to the DOD and the Dept. of Homeland Security requesting “funding for at least 90 days of military duty in Title 32 USC 502(f) status for up to 6,000 Soldiers and Airmen serving on active duty in support of our response to the threat of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill to the State of Louisiana.” Jindal explained that the purpose of the National Guard is to “provide security, medical capabilities, engineers and communication support in response to this threat. Currently, our Soldiers and Airmen are staging for and are engaged in the planning of the effort to evacuate and provide security and clean up for the coastal communities expected to be impacted by the oil spill.” (To read Jindal’s letter, CLICK HERE or see story below.)

A mass evacuation from the Gulf coast will mean disruptions and upheavals on a scale that is unimaginable. Hopefully, the rumors will be proven to be baseless. But it doesn’t hurt to be forewarned. At a minimum, Americans living in the Gulf coast should ask their local and state governments about this. Do not rest until you get a clear answer from those who are supposed to be our servants.

Governor Jindal Sends Letters to Dept. of Defense and Dept. of Homeland Security Requesting National Guard to Support Oil Spill Response Efforts

April 30, 2010

Louisiana Governor's Office - Governor Bobby Jindal sent the following letters to the Secretaries of the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security requesting that the Louisiana National Guard be utilized to support the oil spill response efforts under federal Title 32 status. By sending this letter, the Governor is preparing to mobilize the resources of the Louisiana National Guard and seeking reimbursement in support of their efforts being coordinated by the federal lead agencies.

Full Letter Below:

Honorable Robert M. Gates Secretary of Defense U.S. Department of Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20310

Dear Secretary Gates:

I request that you approve funding for at least 90 days of military duty in Title 32 USC 502(f) status for up to 6,000 Soldiers and Airmen serving on active duty in support of our response to the threat of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill to the State of Louisiana. Title 32 status will allow the members of the National Guard supporting the response to the oil spill to receive military retirement points, health insurance and disability protection.

I am requesting that you consider funding this mission by arranging for an Economy Act transaction pursuant to 31 USC, Chapter 1535, such that environmental disaster funds available to other Federal Agencies can be employed. Further, in accordance with the Oil Pollution Control Act of 1990, Title 33 USC, Chapter 40 Section 2702, the owners of the Deepwater Horizon facility responsible for this oil spill should be required to provide full reimbursement for all costs and damages associated with the oil spill as well as the recovery efforts in the State of Louisiana.

The President has designated the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill as an event of “National Significance.” Currently the oil spill is projected to reach the coast of Louisiana today, April 29, 2010. I am prepared to order the Louisiana National Guard to state active duty in order to respond to this threat to Louisiana’s fragile coast line. Louisiana is host to several federal wildlife refuges and management areas which are in the direct path of the oil spill. The Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area at the mouth of the Mississippi River is predicted to be the first wildlife refuge affected by the oil spill.

The National Guard will provide security, medical capabilities, engineers and communication support in response to this threat. Currently, our Soldiers and Airmen are staging for and are engaged in the planning of the effort to evacuate and provide security and clean up for the coastal communities expected to be impacted by the oil spill. They are engaged in the protection of vital infrastructure to include medical facilities, fuel distribution, interstate highways, water-ice distribution and power facilities which are all vital to the recovery of coastal Louisiana.

I believe these National Guard operations are necessary and appropriate to protect this region of our nation from a significant national event with potential catastrophic loss of natural resources. Louisiana is home to many federal and state military facilities including the NSA New Orleans, the operations of which could be effected.

Thank you for consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

cc: The Honorable Janet Napolitano

Citadel Protect 2010 Training Reinforces Force Protection Importance

June 10, 2010

Navy Public Affairs Element East (NORFOLK, Va.) – The Navy continues to improve its force protection posture at home and overseas through series of training events, tabletop exercises, conferences and major exercises.

These efforts will culminate Oct. 12 — the 10-year anniversary of the attack on USS Cole (DDG 67) — with the Anti-Terrorism Flag Summit action plan led by Adm. J.C. Harvey Jr., commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

"We are committed to conducting training and exercises throughout the year to identify any gaps or seams in our force protection at home and overseas," said Capt. Sam McCormick, director for fleet antiterrorism at U.S. Fleet Forces Command. "We are working this issue all the way down to bare metal. It's across everything; it's manning, resourcing, technologies, command and control, policies and doctrine - the entire spectrum is being looked at."

One such event, held recently at Naval Station Norfolk, is Citadel Protect 2010 (CP10). CP10 is a U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Navy Installations Command-led training event designed to asses the Navy's capability to protect ships against various potential threats in Navy ports.

"This exercise was a tactical-level exercise specifically focused at testing our tactics, techniques and procedures at the waterfront scene," said McCormick.

The training presented Sailors with different scenarios, which required them to respond quickly and effectively. The use of realistic simulations and Hollywood-style special effects, including pyrotechnics, added to the authenticity of the training experience ...