Pensacola Beach, Florida

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President Obama @ Pensacola NAS

President Obama speaks to military at Pensacola NAS

President Barack Obama is telling residents of coastal Florida areas threatened by the spreading Gulf of Mexico oil spill that his administration will be with them for the long haul.

Obama says that includes making sure British oil company BP pays for the damage it has done, that Florida gets the help it needs to protect its coast and that such an environmental disaster never happens again.

The president spoke to military personnel this morning at Pensacola Naval Air Station, the last stop of a two-day visit to coastal areas affected by the spill.

He spent the night in downtown Pensacola and began the day with a stroll along Pensacola Beach. Obama returns to Washington this afternoon to prepare for his primetime Oval Office address on the oil spill.

President Barack Obama and Gov. Charlie Crist tour Pensacola Beach this morning

President Barack Obama toured Pensacola Beach this morning, where spectators greeted him with cheers and chants: "Save our beach! Save our beach!"

The water was emerald green and seemingly clear of tar balls this morning as the president walked to the water's edge and looked toward the horizon, where weathered oil and sheens loom close to our shores. Down the beach, swimmers were in the water. Hundreds of people gathered 200 yards away.

Obama then visited the Fish Sandwich Snack Bar, a Pensacola Beach landmark, and talked with owners Mike and Laura Pinzone.

The president's stop at the snack bar lasted nearly an hour, during which he also got a briefing from Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen and Gov. Charlie Crist.

Afterward, he told members of the press that he'd heard stories similar to the Pinzones' in Mississippi and Alabama and pledged to get help for local businesses.

The important work right now, he said, is just to make sure people like Mike Pinzone are able to get through what is going to be a tough time.

"I told Mike -- and I want every business person here in Florida to know -- that I will be their fierce advocate in making sure that they are getting the compensation they need to get through what is going to be a difficult season," he said.

Obama said they were making sure skimmers were out in the waters and that each state now has its own deputy incident commanders.

He said even though businesses are open and the beaches were clean, tourism was "still affected by perception."

The president arrived at the beach shortly before 9 a.m. Boom was visible in the waterways as the motorcade drove over the Pensacola Bay bridge. In Gulf Breeze, spectators lined the route to wave and take pictures. Several onlookers held signs showing support and frustration -- such as "Kick Tony's ass for us. This is ridiculous." Another said, "Thanks for your support, Mr. President. You still have mine."

Waiting at Pensacola Beach this morning, Greg Simonds was just hoping for some kind of progress in the ongoing oil debacle.

"We just want some resolution," the 27-year-old Pensacola man said. "Everybody says they are doing something. It doesn't seem like they are."

Simonds said the spill has already canceled a fishing tournament he and his son planned to participate in.

"We've lived here all our lives," he said. "It's going to be destroyed."

Heather Shimp and her 12-year-old daughter, Lily, were also at the beach early this morning to wait for the president.

“I don’t know exactly what he’s going to accomplish,” said Heather Shimp, a Pensacola resident. “I think a lot of it is show, but I guess I am glad he is here. It’s just a tough situation. It’s hard to even wrap your mind around what it happening.”

President Obama visits Pensacola

President Obama will discuss the strength and resilience of the American people in a program Tuesday at Pensacola Naval Air Station, a White House spokeswoman said this afternoon.

The president will deliver a message of support to Pensacola and Panhandle communities affected by the oil spill and a message of support to troops in time of war.

Coast Guard closes Pensacola Pass

The Coast Guard authorized the closure of Pensacola Pass on Friday as massive sheets of red and orange oil loomed about six miles offshore.

Friday morning, large plumes of weathered crude oil were spotted six to nine miles south of Pensacola Pass during state reconnaissance flights.

During an overflight of the area in a small aircraft Friday afternoon, a News Journal reporter and photographer spotted a massive oil sheen beginning about six miles from Pensacola Pass and extending southwest to the horizon.

The leading edges of the sheen were streaked by large red and orange plumes of weathered oil and scattered yellow-brown tar balls.

Collier Merrill, co-owner of The Fish House - Morning Joe

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

June 10: Collier Merrill, co-owner of The Fish House, previews Morning Joe's special show live from Fla. tomorrow and tells about the effects of the oil spill on small businesses in the Gulf.

Florida posts first signs to warn beachgoers of oil

Health advisory signs were posted at the entrance to Perdido Key, Fla., beaches after oil began washing up Wednesday. Large amounts of the oily tar balls have appeared on beaches in the western Florida Panhandle.

New signs in Florida's western Panhandle warn beachgoers not to swim or fish along a six-mile stretch befouled by the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Late Tuesday, the Escambia County Health Department started posting the signs -- the first on Florida beaches since the spill began April 20 -- after heavier tar balls and a mousse-like tar substance were reported off Perdido Key, Fla., reports the Associated Press. Tar balls began washing ashore on county beaches Friday.

The health advisory, posted on beaches from Perdido Key to the Gulf Islands Seashore national park, warns people not to swim or fish in the water and to avoid all skin contact with oily water or dead sea animals.

"Young children, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and individuals with underlying respiratory conditions should avoid the area," it says. Officials say violators will not be fined or punished, reports AP.

Doc Kokol, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, said county health departments -- not his agency -- decide whether to post beach advisories and the presence of a sheen or mousse-- not tar balls -- is usually the trigger, according to the AP. "(Tar balls) are a nuisance, but they pose little health risk," he said.

Commercial and recreational fishing ban

NOAA extends commercial and recreational fishing ban in Federal waters by 10 days lasting until May 17th. Fishing still okay up to about 30 miles off shore from Pensacola and Alabama coastline. The news closure area is now 10,807 square miles.

Tarballs recovered from Dauphin Island, Alabama

MOBILE, Ala. - Shoreline assessment teams recovered tar balls Saturday from the beach on Dauphin Island, Ala.
The tar balls, ranging in size from dimes to golf balls, were recovered and sent to a lab for further analysis.

Cleanup crews have placed a pom-pom shaped material designed to collect tar balls (known as snare boom) around the island.
Analysisof the tar balls is being conducted to determine the origin of the oil and may take 48 hours to complete.
Shoreline assessment teams typically consist of three or four trained personnel prepared to evaluate a section of shoreline, equipped with proper protective gear. Trained volunteers may assist members of the group. Team members must have basic site safety training and training sufficient to complete an evaluation of the beach.
Reports of tarballs can be made to the U.S. Coast Guard at any time at 1-800-448-5816.

Satellite images show oil close to coming ashore

NEW ORLEANS — A satellite imaging expert says oil has reached the Mississippi Delta and the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, and the crude is very close to coming ashore.

Hans Graber, director of the University of Miami's satellite sensing facility, said Wednesday that two satellite images also show oil drifting to the south, toward the Loop Current. Scientists say this current could carry oil toward Florida and the Keys.

Graber says the northern edge of the current may already have picked up some oil.

The Associated Press reported last week that a rainbow sheen of oil had come ashore at the mouth of the Mississippi. BP PLC received a report Tuesday that oil had washed ashore at the Chandeleur Islands, but more than 20 boats were sent there and could not find the oil on shore.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The best short-term solution to bottling up a disastrous oil spill threatening sealife and livelihoods along the Gulf Coast should be headed out to sea Wednesday in the form of a specially built giant concrete-and-steel box designed to siphon the oil away.

At about midday, a barge will haul the 100-ton contraption 50 miles offshore to a spot where a mile-deep gusher from a blown-out undersea well has been spewing at least 210,000 gallons of crude a day into the Gulf for two weeks. BP spokesman John Curry said it would be deployed on the seabed by Thursday.

It's the latest idea engineers from oil giant BP PLC are trying after an oil rig the company was operating exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. It sank two days later.

BP is in charge of the cleanup and President Barack Obama and many others have said the company also is responsible for the costs.

BP capped one of three leaks at the well Tuesday night, a step that will not cut the flow of oil but that BP has said will make it easier to help with the gusher.

Meanwhile, the effort to protect Louisiana coastal wetlands was expected to pick up.

In Plaquemines Parish, near the southern tip of Louisiana, officials loaded absorbent boom shortly after dawn to take out to the mouth of the Mississippi River. The barge will be used as a distribution point for local fishermen to lay the boom around sensitive marshes.

At a nearby marina, local shrimpers planned to use their boats to put down boom as part of a program BP is running.

Lionel Bryant, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman, said officials planned to send out about 80 vessels from Biloxi and Pascagoula, Miss., and Orange Beach, Ala., primarily to handle booming. Bryant said two Coast Guard cutters would also conduct offshore skimming operations. Crews in Mississippi are picking up debris from beaches to make cleanup easier if oil comes ashore.

In all, about 7,900 people are working to protect the shoreline and wildlife, and some 170 boats are also helping with the cleanup.

A rainbow sheen of oil has reached land in parts of Louisiana, but forecasts showed the oil wasn't expected to come ashore for at least a couple more days.

"It's a gift of a little bit of time. I'm not resting," U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said.

In their worst-case scenario, BP executives told members of a congressional committee that up to 2.5 million gallons a day could spill if the leaks worsened, though it would be more like 1.7 million gallons. In an exploration plan filed with the government in February 2009, BP said it could handle a "worst-case scenario" it described as a leak of 6.8 million gallons per day from an uncontrolled blowout.

Containment boxes have never been tried at this depth — about 5,000 feet — because of the extreme water pressure. If all goes well, the contraption could be fired up early next week to start funneling the oil into a tanker.

"We don't know for sure" whether the equipment will work, BP spokesman Bill Salvin said. "What we do know is that we have done extensive engineering and modeling and we believe this gives us the best chance to contain the oil, and that's very important to us."

The seas calmed Tuesday, allowing more conventional methods to contain the spill to get back on track as businesses and residents kept an eye on the ocean currents, wondering when the sheen washing ashore in places might turn into a heavier coating of oil. Crews put out more containment equipment and repaired some booms damaged in rough weather over the weekend. They also hoped to again try to burn some of the oil on the water's surface, possibly Wednesday.

Chemical dispersants piped 5,000 feet to the main leak have significantly reduced the amount of oil coming to the surface, BP said.

From the air Tuesday, the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion looked similar to a week ago except for the appearance of a massive rig brought in to drill a relief well to shut off the spewing oil. That will take months.

People along the Gulf Coast have spent weeks living with uncertainty, wondering where and when the huge slick might come ashore, ruining their beaches — and their livelihoods.

The anxiety is so acute that some are seeing and smelling oil where there is none. And even though the dead turtles and jellyfish washing ashore along the Gulf of Mexico are clean, and scientists have yet to determine what killed them, many are just sure the flow of crude unleashed by the explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon is the culprit.

The rig was owned by Transocean Ltd. Some of the 115 surviving workers who were aboard when it exploded are suing that company and BP PLC. In lawsuits filed Tuesday, three workers say they were kept floating at sea for more than 10 hours while the rig burned uncontrollably. They are seeking damages.

Guy Cantwell, a spokesman for rig owner Transocean Ltd., defended the company's response, saying 115 workers did get off alive. Two wrongful death suits also have been filed.

While officials worked on cleanup, the long wait took its toll on nerves and incomes.

In Gulf Shores, Ala., the real estate firm Brett/Robinson Vacations sent a note to those renting vacation properties that they would not be penalized for any spill-related cancellations, but urged them not to jump the gun.

"There are many questions and many `what ifs' regarding this event," the message read. "Because changes come about hourly and 30 days is a long way away, we are asking you to wait before canceling your vacation, especially those of you who are scheduled to arrive more than 30 days from today."

There are legitimate concerns, experts say. A second bird found in the slick, a brown pelican, is recovering at a bird rescue center in Louisiana. National Wildlife Federation president and CEO Larry Schweiger says there's no way to know how many birds have been oiled because the slick is so big and so far offshore.

Perdido Key, a barrier island between Pensacola and the Alabama state line with sugar-white sand studded with condominiums, likely would be the first place in Florida affect by the oil spill. Perdido — Spanish for "Lost" — got a sniff Tuesday morning of what may be in store.

"You could smell the smell of it, real heavy petroleum base," said Steve Owensby, 54, a maintenance man at the Flora-Bama Lounge abutting the state line on the Florida side.

The air cleared later, but Owensby's 28-year-old daughter, Stephanie, who tends bar at the lounge, said some visitors have complained of feeling ill from the fumes.

"It's very sad because I grew up out here," she said. "I remember growing up seeing the white beaches my whole life. Every day I've been going to the beach ... a lot of people are out watching and crying."

Unified command activated for West Coast of Florida

DATE: May 05, 2010 04:03:37 CST

Unified command activated for West Coast of Florida

Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information:

(866)-448-5816

Submit alternative response technology, services or products:

(281) 366-5511

Submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system:

(281) 366-5511

Submit a claim for damages:

(800) 440-0858

Report oiled wildlife:

(866) 557-1401

Deepwater Horizon Incident

Joint Information Center

Phone: (985) 902-5231

(985) 902-5240

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In response to the possiblity of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affecting the West Coast of Florida, representatives from BP, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are meeting to plan a multi-agency response.

Working together, the agencies have reviewed the area contingency plan and ensured all partners have access to, and are familiar with the plan.

In meetings over the last couple days, the Coast Guard and Florida DEP have spoken with trustees from various national and state wildlife refugee areas, along with every county emergency management office on the West Coast of Florida.

The agencies also met with over 30 members of non-governmental environmental organizations including Tampa Bay Watch, Save our Seabirds, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Sierra Club, etc.

The latest predictions from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), indicate no impact to the western coast of Florida, from Taylor County to Collier County within the next 72 hours.

"We are standing up a unified command, consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Department of Environmental Protections and BP, to facilitate planning and identify resource requirements to ensure a robust multi-agency response," said Capt. Tim Close, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. "We are planning for the worst case, but hopeful any impact will be substantially less than that, if at all," said Close.

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/539371/

Deepwater Horizon Rescue Response

ROBERT, La. - The Transocean drillship, Discoverer Enterprise, prepares to conduct recovery operation for BP using a specially-built "dome" at the sea floor Monday, May 3, 2010. With the use of the dome and connection system to flow the leaking oil the crew of the Discoverer Enterprise will be capable of recovering up to 125,000 barrels of oil. Photo provided by Transocean.

To report oiled wildlife, please call 1-866-557-1401 and leave a message. Messages will be checked hourly.

To report oil spill related damage, please call 1-800-440-0858.

To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information, please call 1-866-448-5816.

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/

COASTAL CRISIS UPDATE:

Scientists say the Gulf oil spill could get into the what's called the Loop Current within a day, eventually carrying oil south along the Florida coast and into the Florida Keys.

NOAA closes recreational and commercial fishing in federal waters starting now and lasting at least 10 days.

Closure is from Pensacola Bay to Louisiana. BP to place huge containment boxes over well as next short-term strategy.

http://www.weartv.com/

BP Oil Spill Waivers Capped Liability Payments To Coastal Residents At $5,000

VENICE, La. -- BP PLC said Monday that it will pay for all the cleanup costs from a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that could continue spewing crude for at least another week.

Meanwhile, chief executive Tony Hayward said Monday that chemical dispersants have worked to some degree to keep oil from flowing to the surface, though he did not elaborate. He said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the new approach seemed to be having a significant impact.

The company posted a fact sheet on its Web site saying it took responsibility for the response to the Deepwater Horizon spill and would pay compensation for legitimate claims for property damage, personal injury and commercial losses.

"We are responsible, not for the accident, but we are responsible for the oil and for dealing with it and cleaning the situation up," Hayward said. He said the equipment that failed on the rig and led to the spill belonged to owner Transocean Ltd., not BP, which operated the rig.

Over the weekend, news emerged that BP was circulating settlement agreements among coastal residents of Alabama and possibly other states, essentially requiring that "people give up the right to sue in exchange for payment of up to $5,000," the Alabama Press-Register reported. Alabama's Attorney General Troy King protested and asked BP to stop distribution of the letters.

The attorney general said he is prohibited from giving legal advice to private citizens, but added that "people need to proceed with caution and understand the ramifications before signing something like that.

"They should seek appropriate counsel to make sure their rights are protected," King said.

As of Monday morning, BP's CEO said the practice had stopped. ABC News reports:

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told "Good Morning America" today that it was unacceptable for BP to ask fishermen it hired to help with the cleanup of the Gulf oil spill to sign waivers that would limit the company's liability.

"I'm looking into that right now." she said. "I was just alerted to that and if that in fact is the case, that is a practice we want stopped immediately."

BP CEO Tony Hayward told "GMA" this morning that the company has already put a stop to the practice.

"That was an early misstep George, frankly. We were using a standard contract. We've eliminated that," Hayward told George Stephanopoulos.

Moreover, a spokesman for BP, said the "waiver requirement had been stripped out, and that ones already signed would not be enforced."

Another potential controversy involves reimbursement, "given that federal law sets a limit of $75 million on BP's liability for damages, apart from the cleanup costs," the New York Times reports.

"It's going to be extremely tricky" to reimburse fishermen and others if economic damages tally above $75 million, said Stuart Smith, a New Orleans-based lawyer who is pushing for Congressional action to amend the law. "They may not be obligated to pay more than that unless they agree to do it."

There is a federal fund, generated from a tax on oil, that may cover as much as $1 billion in damages.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/bp-oil-spill-waivers_n_560814.html

"The Ban" [VIDEO]

Activists opposed to new offshore drilling projects are seeing the Gulf coast oil spill as a call to action, using the crisis to urge President Obama toward a clean energy future. MoveOn.org added its voice with an ad released today titled "The Ban."

The ad features a plea for clean energy with images of the devastation caused by the oil spill and calls on Obama to reinstate the ban on new offshore drilling.

While Obama has put new offshore drilling plans on hold until the cause of the disaster is discovered, he has given no indication that future offshore drilling plans are off the table.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/move-on-moveon-ad-offshore-drilling_n_561298.html

Fishing Closed From Mississippi River To Pensacola Bay

GULF COAST - Regulators have closed oil affected federal waters, in the gulf, to commercial and recreational fishing...

The fishing ban covers oil stained waters, anywhere from Pensacola Bay West, to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Channel Three's Bill Pearson joins us from the Pensacola Beach Marina with more on the impact of this ban...

On a typical Sunday afternoon in May... This marina would be slammed with people... Waiting for countless fish to be cleaned so folks could take their catch home.

But as you can see... Its pretty much a ghost town here at Pensacola Beach Marina.

Marina managers say charter boat captains have not been spotted out here today...

But the manager did tell me the ban on fishing in oily federal waters is pretty much common sense for the captains...

Driving a boat into oil contaiminated waters would be like driving a car into a forest fire... Oil would do damage to many vital, expensive parts of the boat.

The federal ban does not include fishing from the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier.

But pier workers say they're gonna lose all their fishing business too.

"Probably half in revenue... So, yeah. Because we get up to 200 people per day fishing... And that many or more just walking. We hope it goes quickly, but it looks like its gonna be a long, slow process. Oil is a sticky mess, sticky job."

Managers at this marina are expecting a similar ban in state waters... Saying Florida usually follows the federal government's lead when it comes to emergency fishing regulations.

Like a lot of folks in our area... Boat captains are wondering how long this oil issue is going to plague our region... And how can they survive financially with their boats parked for so long during what's supposed to be a busy time of the year.GULF COAST - Regulators have closed oil affected federal waters, in the gulf, to commercial and recreational fishing...

The fishing ban covers oil stained waters, anywhere from Pensacola Bay West, to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Channel Three's Bill Pearson joins us from the Pensacola Beach Marina with more on the impact of this ban...

On a typical Sunday afternoon in May... This marina would be slammed with people... Waiting for countless fish to be cleaned so folks could take their catch home.

But as you can see... Its pretty much a ghost town here at Pensacola Beach Marina.

Marina managers say charter boat captains have not been spotted out here today...

But the manager did tell me the ban on fishing in oily federal waters is pretty much common sense for the captains...

Driving a boat into oil contaiminated waters would be like driving a car into a forest fire... Oil would do damage to many vital, expensive parts of the boat.

The federal ban does not include fishing from the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier.

But pier workers say they're gonna lose all their fishing business too.

"Probably half in revenue... So, yeah. Because we get up to 200 people per day fishing... And that many or more just walking. We hope it goes quickly, but it looks like its gonna be a long, slow process. Oil is a sticky mess, sticky job."

Managers at this marina are expecting a similar ban in state waters... Saying Florida usually follows the federal government's lead when it comes to emergency fishing regulations.

Like a lot of folks in our area... Boat captains are wondering how long this oil issue is going to plague our region... And how can they survive financially with their boats parked for so long during what's supposed to be a busy time of the year.

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_8118.shtml

President Obama Comments On Oil Spill and Crisis

LOUISIANA - President Barack Obama is calling the surging oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.

Obama is in Louisiana, getting an assesment of the cleanup efforts from the B-P oil rig, which continues to leak 5-thousand barrels of oil a day.

Today, he made it clear that B-P would be paying for the cleanup of the region.

The oil slick is approximately 50 miles from the Florida shore.

All fishing in federal waters, from Louisiana to Pensacola, has been *suspended for at least ten days.

The attorneys general from five gulf coast states are meeting in Alabama to discuss the coastal crisis.

We've got team coverage for you tonight with reports from all along the gulf coast...

We begin begin in Louisiana.

President Barack Obama got a firsthand assessment of the environmental catastrophe facing the Gulf Coast.

SOT Obama "We are dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster."

And he promised action.

Obama "Your government will do whatever it takes and for as long as it takes to stop this crisis."

The President heard about progress on lowering a box-like device intended to capture some of the estimated 5-thousand gallons of oil spewing daily from the site of a BP oil platform explosion.

Obama "So let me be clear. BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill. But as President of the United States I'm gonna spare no effort to respond to this crisis for as long as it continues."

But, an estimated 1-point-six million gallons of oil is already moving north towards Northwest Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Joshua Alfonso, Commercial Fisherman "We're not going to let it come in and destroy everything we got."

Determined fishermen are manning the front lines in this battle.

The fishing industry is already a casualty of the massive oil slick.

And now , the first wildlife victims are turning up covered in oil. This Northern Gannett sought help.

Erica Miller, Tri-State Bird Rescue "The bird approached their vessel, and hopped up near the boat."

And rescuers know there will be many more to come.

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_8121.shtml