Across coastal Louisiana, officials lament ineffective oil spill command structure

[Barrett808]

In St. Bernard Parish last weekend, officials identified a patch of oil getting close to marsh grass. But when they requested the skimmer boats they thought were available, they discovered the boats had been moved to Venice.

And despite constant warnings from Jefferson Parish officials about oil approaching Grand Isle late last week, the boats needed to stop it weren't around when they were needed. As a result, oil washed up on beaches and authorities in Jefferson "commandeered" shrimp boats from BP in order to get booms out to the passes near the island.

"It wasn't a surprise to us. We had people in the air; we were aware it was coming," said Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts, who represents Grand Isle and Lafitte. "It'd be like a house on the same street as the fire department is burning down, and the fire trucks didn't get there in time."

In places like Venice, Grand Isle and Hopedale, local leaders are decrying a lack of urgency on the part of BP and the federal government after more than a week of seeing cleanup crews sluggishly reacting to oil washing up on beaches and getting snared in marsh grasses across the state. As questions mount over the balance of power between BP and the federal government in the response to the oil spill, the same concerns being raised in committee halls in Washington are trickling down to local government officials in command posts on the front lines of the Louisiana coast.

Across coastal Louisiana, officials lament ineffective oil spill command structure