Oil Cleanup Sham?: Join the Live Chat
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Tonight a Louisiana politician accuses BP of shipping in cleanup workers for Pres. Obama's visit and then letting them leave right after he did. We're keeping them honest. Plus, the death of child actor star Gary Coleman and more.
Want more details on what we're covering? Read EVENING BUZZ
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
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Joanne,
The workers are under order to perform a job, they don't make policy.
@ oAnn, N.Royalton
Thanks for giving me the update on the top kill. I have not seen any news today until this show.
If they used the shot you described, yes, i am concerned.
My question of the moment has to do with the 3 GIANT oil plumes in the gulf. The middle one is 22 miles by 6 mile in surface area. The largest [discovered today] has not been measured fully measured yet. But it goes on forever. The plumes go down 3000 feet or more! Why aren't they pumping them? WHY????? BP can't get away with ignorance anymore! Place a price on recovered oil and watch the oil [gold] rush! MOBILIZE now!
James is a good guy. He states his case with passion but is the consummate gentleman offering to show White House staff what's happening in Louisiana. Way to go James!
Thanks Anderson for keeping him and Billy as continued guests on the show.
After the explosion BP said they would drill 2 relief wells. The first well commenced drilling a few days after the explosion and the second well started being drilled approx 10 days later. I just heard that BP has stopped drilling the 2nd relief well.
As we've seen drilling a well is fraught with difficulties and there is no guarantee the first well will actually reach 19,000ft. Is this another example of BP cutting corners?
@blanche and Nicole, as long as oil is a cheaper source of energy than alterantives, we will use it; which means we need to drill.
I dont believe the top kill is really working...previously in the video images there was no huge lump of sand/cement that was visible – it was oil coming straight out of a pipe
now the videos show a huge lump (like a boulder) and there are exhaustion's from it as if a volcano erupted...
they would have not stopped top kill and looked for junk shot unless they are not all confident about the working of topkill
Thank you Carville! I live in LA & I'm wondering where are all these clean-up crews that the government is talking about?
All BP has to do is to unflange the riser from the BOP's thats already there and flange up a single cameron BOP blind ram and shut the rams, I believe BP wants to drill a relief well to make there money back on what they lost on the spill.
BP representatives have probably been advised by corporate attorneys to not continue answering questions. As we know, anything and everything that anyone from the company says will be quoted in court.
@ Nicole The Netherlands, "i am still stuck in my thoughts about those fisherman who helped clean up, who got sick... heard that yesterday also employed by BP..
I am too as well as those poor animals covered in oil. According to experts, the prognosis for oiled animals is not great.
Everyone who can should go to the coast of and help Carville clean up the mess the "BP" made.
Anderson,
Hi! Happy Friday.
BP needs to be more focused on stopping the oil spill–rather than their own image.
Hi, I live in Montegut La. I recieved a call yesterday to report to Main St., Houma, La.. It was for the Grand Isle cleanup jobs. The message was on my answering machine late yesterday evening. They stated that the offer started at 12 dollars and hour 12 hours a day and 7 days a week. Im sure if I tried to accept this offer today it would no longer be open. If they left at 3pm there is no way they worked 12 hours. I applied for this job almost 3 weeks ago and was told I would hear something within a week. Im not sure who taught these people time but they are off really bad. One week to them is three and Twelve hours is only 4. Someone needs to go back to school.
You go James!!!
I agreed with James, I think the president should have spend more time in New Orleans. I feel so bad for the residents of Louisiana. Thanks Anderson for covering the story on the gulf 🙂
Thank you Ted Turner, CNN.
I would like to know why last week most news outlets gave this disaster about 15 seconds per show. It seems to me BP, the Feds and the media took too much time to either let the people know what is really going on or the media was kept in the dark and did not bother to investigate. Does anybody really wonder why nothing has really happened till now? Why wasn't all this coverage there from the start? Who knows how that would have helped.
It is amazing to see how BP has bought in workers and removed them as soon as the President left. I was astonished to see none of the workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Benzene is a carcinogenic compound. All employers are required by occupational health and safety laws to provide PPE to employees and employees must wear said PPE provided. Why has BP not provided air purifying equipment to all workers in this clean up and why has State Labour agencies not gone after this lack of protection for the workers. If this was a chemical factory, all workers would be protected or the company would be fined.
The oil spill aleady occurred! Stop the leak but protect the workers so they don't have to sue and hide their settlement in disclosure.
Top Kill Mud and Junkshots require EQUILIBRIUM; sorry but my 6TH grade science teacher showed me {hands on}; that was IMPOSSIBLE with a 21" pipe open.
@David, Indiana – Thanks
Wasn't there a number earlier in the week about how much seafood the Gulf provides- if i remember correctly it was quite large!
I still do not understand why people dont realize, BP does not want to permanently seal this well. In fact all their efforts are centered on pouring in sand that can be easily removed later. Anything else they try would probably cloag the pipe. But they wouldn.t be able to use it again. That is more horrific then anything.
Robin,
Your comments make sense, to bad other people don't have an open mind like you. People keep referring to the Katrina episode, but those people didn't get paid, like the people in Louisiana are.
This should not be a political dog bone. This is an American tragedy. I think that it would be very wrong to use this for political gain.
I think the Feds should seek other professional help to stop the leaks!
Those ‘curses’ have both had a lot human help.
@Starr, formerly known as vincent, "What is the status of the top kill? Did it stop, is it still going without a camera? Anyone know, did i miss the report on status?"
From what I understand they had to do the "junk shot" as well so I don't think it is going the way they expected. It may be time to panic.
I'd like to ask the scientists what will happen like if they never can stop this oil leak til this well reservoir gives out ? What is the worst case scenario?
James is right as usual. Don't quit, James. This is the shining moment of your life. Thanks for your courage bucking the powers in your own party. I fear you're going to be disappointed, but keep trying.
I don't blame the President for 'this mess,' I blame BP and the corrupt officials who allowed it to progress to the point we've reached. I do, however, blame the President for not appearing to really care a whole lot about what is going on. Its as if he'd really like this annoyance to go away, so he can get on with his day to day. If he really cared, wouldn't he have spent time talking to people, touring the hard hit areas, visiting a wildlife cleaning station, etc? There is a difference between blame and having low confidence in the 'leader' we've chosen.
Two reasons BP wont come on AC360... They didn't like the keeping them honest questioning as already mentioned... and I believe Douglas Brinkley repeatedly hammering them by name on your show has struck a nerve!
Carville and Brinkley speak the truth...I would be vocal too, what do they expect?? This is part of a culture being destroyed!
Terry,
I'm sorry for what you, your family, friends and neighbors are going through! :o(
Why cant the fisherman form some chain of boats that use some sucking device ropes hair chains anything to prevent the movement of crude. Why are the mounds being debated to form the stops? What are the long term plans of cleanup? How many more 30 day periods will this mess last? Lets get our heads together and make a change. Maybe a new president?
Keep up the great work AC!
Good Evening Anderson, AC360 team, Starr, Megan and other fellow bloggers. Joining a little late today!
It must be hard for Carville to still be so humble and specially still have the same respect for president...I agree the best people dont have to bear!!!
I have a different outlook on this disaster. Last winter here in Fla., we
had freezing temps that had farmers watering to keep their crops from freezing. Almost immediately "sinkholes" started forming in the
farm areas. Will a similar occurance take place on the Gulf bottom as
oil is withdrawn and a void left ? That could really be disastrous!!
If they would simply pump Primeflex or Emmecol (an expandable foam used in foundation/basement cracks to stop leaking) into that well in large quantities the leak would be plugged in less than a day!!!! Do it.
If this isn't a call to put all our energy into finding newer technology so we can quit relying on oil, I don't know what is!
We're all idiots if we don't wake up to this disaster. Lets start putting money into sciences in schools. Somewhere out there in our kids and university students is the person or people who have the answer to all of this.
Keep it up AC and James!!
What a great time to create a Civilian Conservation Corp to deal with these environmental disasters and create jobs! Put those put out of work by BP and Transocean, Haliburton et al to clean up their mess.
Why doesn't the government have an oil response team at the ready? Too bad our government has has been seized by oilly sleeze balls Stay strong Louisiana!
@ Blanche, very silent those tea party people these days, aren't they?!
The federal gov't does have investigations going on that include any criminal acts of negligence.
I have to agree with ames C. It really does seem that LA gets the short end of the stick (2nd time).
If this had happened anywere else, i do believe that much more action and attention would have occurred.
It seems like LA has some kind of curse on it.
@Blanche, if you want to keep your way of life, we need oil, which means we need to drill.
As a resident of Grand Isle, I witness this mess daily! I live it! My husband is a commercial fisherman who has lost his livlihood and now works for bp in the clean up, while many of his fellow fishermen wait for the call from bp to be hired. My boss is the Mayor of Grand Isle and i deal with the pain and frustration of the residents continuously. I have many issues with bp. But i was a bit encouraged by the words of the president. David Camardelle, our Mayor, is doing a great job and was able to speak with the President at length, and later assured us the President feels our pain.
I agree with Carville! Where are the people cleaning up the spill? All we see are pictures of people playing in the oil. Don't make me come down there.
Isn't BP wealthy enough to spend the money on clean up? Isn't this why we pay so much for gas? Do they think our country isn't worth cleaning up? Do BP exec's eat seafood? All valid questions we will prolly never get answered!
I don't believe BP even know how to stop the leaks. Because had they known, I believe the leaks would have been stop by now!
When the tea party people were yelling, "drill baby drill", no one had anything to say, now everyone want to blame the President for this mess.