05/30/10

From WDSU New Orleans

"Perception Trumps Reality"
     (If Nobody Famous Said That, They Should Have.)

BP Buses In 400 Workers During Obama's Visit

Jefferson Parish Councilman Calls Company's Actions 'Shameful'


GRAND ISLE, La. -- Officials from Jefferson Parish claim BP bused 400 cleanup workers into Grand Isle on Friday in time for a visit from President Barack Obama.


Jefferson Parish Councilman John Young said the workers were brought in to clean oil off Grand Isle's beaches.

The extra workers were brought in for Friday only, at a rate of $12 an hour, officials told WDSU. They were mostly from Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts didn’t buy into the cleanup effort.

"They must think we're all fools," he said.

Roberts called BP's efforts "shameful."

"The level of cleanup and cooperation from BP in the last week in no way compares to the effort shown on the island today," Roberts said. "This is a total shame that a mockery has been made of this visit by the executives of BP."

During a visit Friday to Louisiana, Obama toured a beach where tar balls are washing ashore and attended a briefing at a Coast Guard station in Grand Isle.

Roberts said that since oil started coming ashore in Grand Isle last week, no more than a dozen workers hired by BP have been seen on the beaches in the area, until Friday when the president arrived.

"I've heard estimates of 300-500 people there today," Roberts said. "They were given T-shirts and pants and handed a shovel and taken to the beach."

BP said that despite no notice of the added forces beforehand, the workers were scheduled.

"We moved in considerably more people to fight the battle where the oil is," said BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles.

BP's local contractor also said it was no stunt.

"So, just to be clear, there are allegations this was just a dog and pony show for the president. So you're saying this was nothing more than a sheer coincidence that the president shows up and all the workers come out in force on the same day?" asked WDSU I-Team reporter Travers Mackel.

"Yes, absolutely a sheer coincidence," said BP contractor Donald Nalty.

Roberts and people living on the island said Obama left and the work stopped.

"You should also recognize that these people are working out in the hot sun. They are starting early and ending early, and leaving their location in the afternoon is not unusual," Suttles said. "It's not associated with the president arriving."

Roberts said he doubts BP's intentions.

"BP has not been forthcoming with anyone so far, from the state, local or federal level, and it's shameful that would try and orchestrate this effort to try and prove they are on their game," he said.

Br'er Fox and the Tar Balls.

For the rest of this story, you'll have to ask Uncle Remus.

He can tell you exactly what happened to shifty Br'er Fox
and dumb old Br'er Bear that time.