BP Oil Spill: Against Gov. Jindal's Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard

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**Frazzled**

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-gov-bobby-jindals-wishes-crude/story?id=10946379&page=2

BP Oil Spill: Against Gov. Jindal's Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard
59 Days Into Oil Crisis, Gulf Coast Governors Say Feds Are Failing Them
By DAVID MUIR and BRADLEY BLACKBURN
June 17, 2010—

Eight days ago, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ordered barges to begin vacuuming crude oil out of his state's oil-soaked waters. Today, against the governor's wishes, those barges sat idle, even as more oil flowed toward the Louisiana shore.

"It's the most frustrating thing," the Republican governor said today in Buras, La. "Literally, yesterday morning we found out that they were halting all of these barges."

Watch "World News" for David Muir's report from Louisiana tonight.

Sixteen barges sat stationary today, although they were sucking up thousands of gallons of BP's oil as recently as Tuesday. Workers in hazmat suits and gas masks pumped the oil out of the Louisiana waters and into steel tanks. It was a homegrown idea that seemed to be effective at collecting the thick gunk.

"These barges work. You've seen them work. You've seen them suck oil out of the water," said Jindal.

Coast Guard Orders Barges to Stop
So why stop now?

"The Coast Guard came and shut them down," Jindal said. "You got men on the barges in the oil, and they have been told by the Coast Guard, 'Cease and desist. Stop sucking up that oil.'"

A Coast Guard representative told ABC News today that it shares the same goal as the governor.

"We are all in this together. The enemy is the oil," said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Dan Lauer.

But the Coast Guard ordered the stoppage because of reasons that Jindal found frustrating. The Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges.

Louisiana Governor Couldn't Overrule Coast Guard
The governor said he didn't have the authority to overrule the Coast Guard's decision, though he said he tried to reach the White House to raise his concerns.

"They promised us they were going to get it done as quickly as possible," he said. But "every time you talk to someone different at the Coast Guard, you get a different answer."

After Jindal strenuously made his case, the barges finally got the go-ahead today to return to the Gulf and get back to work, after more than 24 hours of sitting idle.

Along Gulf Coast, Governors Ask, 'Who's In Charge?'
Fifty-nine days into the crisis, it still can be tough to figure out who is in charge in Louisiana, and the problem appears to be the same in other Gulf Coast states.

In Alabama today, Gov. Bob Riley said that he's had problems with the Coast Guard, too.

Riley, R-Ala., asked the Coast Guard to find ocean boom tall enough to handle strong waves and protect his shoreline.

The Coast Guard went all the way to Bahrain to find it, but when it came time to deploy it?

"It was picked up and moved to Louisiana," Riley said today.

The governor said the problem is there's still no single person giving a "yes" or "no." While the Gulf Coast governors have developed plans with the Coast Guard's command center in the Gulf, things begin to shift when other agencies start weighing in, like the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"It's like this huge committee down there," Riley said, "and every decision that we try to implement, any one person on that committee has absolute veto power."

Click here to return to the "World News" page.

Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures

**WARBOSS TZOO**

If the coast guard is liable if the barges go up in flames and the men on them die because they had no fire extinguishers or life vests, then it seems reasonable.

Otherwise: No. What in the feth.

**Orlanth**

Coast Guard were right, but they could have sorted this out with an inspection lasdting a n hour rather than a days paperchasing.

After all its important to find if there are fire extinguishers and lifebelts on the barges, not o see if there is a paper trail of invoices for fire extinguihers and lifebelts for the barges.

**ShumaGorath**

Get your best men.
Fastrope onto that barge.
Fight off the turks.
Check for fire extinguishers and life vests.
Get thrown off the side.

This is a simple process. They didn't need to wait days trying to contact some south korean factory.

**Frazzled**

Coast guard is not liable. Generally the government is not liable unless permitting by legislation.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
This gets better and better. Isn't this guy already kinda busy with two wars?
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10949857

**Kilkrazy**

It is based on the assumption that it is the man at the top who does everything.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I mean it's like this:

Subordinate: Sir! Sir! There's a huge oil spill in the Gulf. Shall we clean it up?

Man at the Top: Duh... Yeah! This is the Bureau for Cleaning Up Oil Spills, isn't it?

S: Okay, sir, how should we do it?

King Edward 1st, Hammer Of the Scots: You will do it by doing it. Now go and do it, and return to me when it is done.

**ShumaGorath**

Frazzled wrote:Coast guard is not liable. Generally the government is not liable unless permitting by legislation.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
This gets better and better. Isn't this guy already kinda busy with two wars?
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10949857

Two wars that don't really involve the navy in much other than a transport capacity.

**Dreadwinter**

You don't even have to go on the boat and check for fire extinguishers and life vests.

GIVE them fire extinguishers and life vests just to make sure and be done with the damn thing.

**Frazzled**

ShumaGorath wrote:
Frazzled wrote:Coast guard is not liable. Generally the government is not liable unless permitting by legislation.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
This gets better and better. Isn't this guy already kinda busy with two wars?
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10949857

Two wars that don't really involve the navy in much other than a transport capacity.

The Navy also handles the Marine Corps.

**mrwhoop**

Well, at least they didn't demand the crude that had been collected to be returned...

Counts for something right?