Is there any one person making the decisions on the Oil Spill?

I'm just wondering who's calling the shots right now.

I'm talking about clean up, containment, capping the leak, etc. Is there a point man?

There will be a sideshow of government officials "pressuring BP", but money will decide.

Obama appoints commander
Thad Allen to lead clean-up effort


Ratcheting up its efforts Saturday to respond to the Gulf Coast oil slick that’s quickly approaching land, the Obama administration announced that it had appointed U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen as National Incident Commander with overall responsibility for the government-wide response.

In a conference call with reporters, Allen said that he had served in the same role during a 2002 planning exercise in New Orleans for an oil spill in the Gulf Coast, giving him unique insight into the tactics available to respond to the situation.

"The first thing is to stop this thing at the source," Admiral Allen said. He explained that Coast Guard, BP and others are working on a plan to drill what's known as a "relief well" to ease the flow of oil through the shaft that was breached after the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

He also said that the Department of Defense has loaned two C-130 airplanes, which have been used to spread chemical dispersants onto the surface oil to degrade it more quickly. And, he said, BP is working on a system to pump such dispersants directly into the oil gusher underwater.

Allen said that commercial shipping lanes have not yet been affected in the area, but that the Coast Guard is working on protocols for what to do if the oil hits them, and has not yet decided whether to ban shipping traffic through the slick or to allow ships to sail through it, and be cleaned when they reach the other side. He explained that the slick could make landfall in Mississippi and Alabama any time in the next 72 to 96 hours, depending on wind speeds and weather.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0510/obama_appoints_commander_e0a8cc08-edcc-4719-a4cc-332a09910b31.html

COAST GUARD COMMANDANT ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN DESIGNATED NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER FOR CONTINUED RESPONSE TO BP OIL SPILL

https://www.piersystem.com/go/site/2931/

on what happens at the drill site.

But if they choose to do nothing, the government will step in and the Coast Guard will be in charge. It's ridiculous to say it's all up to BP, it isn't.

Whoopee

mobilized the military to assist (Coast Guard with the assistance of local fishing employees, etc) to protect the U.S. and that the cost will be paid for by BP. I suspect he (the administration) will be held to account for the response, and is directing agencies to assist, because I don't think BP has the ability to control or clean this up.

'Course, as the beaches get darker pressure will be incredible to do "something else". Whatever that is.

The Louisiana governer and others are making noises about not enough being done, though I haven't heard anyone come up with a
different "workable" plan. I wish interviewers would ask, specifically, what else should be done.

So I guess that would make BP that one person.

:(

:argh: