A8
Friday, July 30, 2010
The Vicksburg Post
Incoming CEO Bob Dudley to outline BP plans to help Gulf recover Ex-Coast Guard leader assures Gov. Jindal efforts will continue
Company at center of spill in Michigan cited for problems
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley was set to outline his company’s long-term efforts to help the Gulf of Mexico recover from the oil spill, and will be getting help from a Clinton administration-era emergency management official. The oil giant said Dudley would be in Biloxi to announce that former Federal Emergency Management Agency head James Lee Witt will support its recovery efforts. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government’s oil-spill response chief, had what he called a frank and open discussion Thursday with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and coastal parish officials concerned that the Coast Guard and BP PLC will pull back from the spill response once the oil is stopped permanently. “One of the things we absolutely wanted to get today was their commitment that they’re in it for the long-term,” Jindal said. “Look, all those (federal) people in the room, with no disrespect ... they’re going to be rotated out to different
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) — A Canadian company at the center of a huge oil spill in southern Michigan has a history of pipeline problems, including an explosion and dozens of regulatory violations. Enbridge Inc. or its affiliates have been cited for 30 enforcement actions since 2002 by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s regulatory arm. In a warning letter sent Jan. 21, the agency told the company it may have violated safety codes by improperly monitoring corrosion in the pipeline responsible for the massive spill Monday in Talmadge Creek. The creek feeds into the Kalamazoo River, which eventually flows into Lake Michigan. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 1 million gallons may have spilled into the waterway, but Enbrige estimates the spill at closer to 820,000 gallons. Cleanup efforts could take several
jobs. Everybody here is still going to be here dealing with this oil.” Plaquemines Parish President Bob Billy NungDudley esser said the cleanup effort is being scaled back even though oil is still showing up on the coast. “They say they are not (pulling back) but already they have canceled catering contracts, they’ve stopped production of boom at factories,” he said. “We know there’s a lot of oil out there. “It’s going to continue to come ashore, and we’re going to hold their feet to the fire to make sure they’re there until all the oil is gone out of the Gulf of Mexico before we pull all of the assets out of our parish.” Allen said federal, state and local officials will come up with a plan by next week for how to clean up any oil that might continue washing up on beaches and in wetlands.
The associated press
Megan Nistler, a field sampler with Entrix, collects oil in Timbalier Bay, La. Thursday.
U.S. gas stations divided over name change NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP gas station owners across the country are divided over whether the oil giant stained by its handling of the Gulf spill should rebrand U.S. outlets as Amoco or another name as part of its effort to repair the company’s badly damaged reputation. Some who have seen their sales plunge because of protests say BP has already sought a fresh start by naming an American to replace its gaffe-prone British CEO, so why not change the name on
gas stations marquees as a further symbol of that culture shift. Others worry that a name change is a big deal that is risky given all the marketing dollars already spent building up the BP brand. They also believe a successful turnaround with the existing brand will have a bigger payoff. In the aftermath of the oil spill, some BP-branded gas stations reported sales declines of 10 percent to 40 percent from Florida to
Illinois. The BP name and greenand-yellow sunflower logo took over after BP merged with Amoco in the late 1990s, replacing the Amoco name and its blue-and-red torch inside an oval logo. There is precedent for such a drastic move to return to the Amoco name or to go with a new name. Think AirTran after the ValuJet crash and Xe Services after the killing of civilians by Blackwater Worldwide guards in Iraq.
IT PAYS TO SWITCH.
weeks, possibly two months, officials said. The EPA says the oil had traveled 25 miles downstream, but state officials estimate it has traveled 35 miles. Gov. Jennifer Granholm warned of a “tragedy of historic proportions” should it travel another 80 miles and reach Lake Michigan, but EPA officials don’t expect that to happen. Steve Wuori, an Enbridge executive vice president, said the company was doing maintenance all along the pipeline this year, but the section at the leak site was not scheduled for replacement. Workers and contractors went to work on the oil Thursday with more than 12,000 feet of containment and absorption boom, 14 skimmers, 43 vacuum trucks and a number of tanker trucks, excavators and other trucks, he said. Health officials went door-todoor, telling Calhoun County residents in about 30 to 50 homes near the spill to evacuate because of air quality concerns. Others were told to use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
Bill Bexley The Bexley Agency (601) 636-7606 3530 Manor Dr., Ste 1 billbexley@allstate.com
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