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Skimmer Scramble

June 21st, 2010 by flanews

Florida has a new point man to help speed up the response efforts to the BP oil leak. U.S. Coast Guard Commander Joe Boudrow will work to secure more equipment and help organize beach clean up efforts for the state. As Whitney Ray tells us, his first marching orders… bring more skimmers to Florida.

There are only 20 skimmer boats sucking up oil off Florida’s coast… and for two weeks calls for more have gone mostly unheard.

22 countries are offering their skimmers to help clean up the oil leak, but BP Is ignoring their charity.

US Senator George Lemieux is keeping track of the skimmer situation in Florida; Posting the count on his website and putting pressure on the state Department and BP to bring in more.

Governor Charlie Crist says the state will need a hundred skimmers to adequately respond to the disaster.

“We have to be responsible, and we have to be demanding, and we will continue to do that. And now the secretary is going to request eighty more skimmers. It’s that simple,” said Crist.

And there’s more reason to believe the state’s calls will get louder. Monday Crist announced the newest member of Florida’s Gulf Oil Spill Response Team. US Coast Guard Commanders Joe Boudrow will communicate directly with BP and the federal government on the state’s behalf to help secure more equipment.

“I will be reporting to the unified command in Mobile, Alabama to ensure that we get the proper resources and the support here in the state of Florida,” Boudrow.

More good news Monday, another shift in the wind is expected shift to keep the oil plume at bay a little while longer.

“We’ve got some currents now that going to improve and actually push it also to the west,” said Boudrow.

But while the state waits for the wind… and for more skimmers… tar balls continue to make landfall farther along Florida’s coast. Later this week Governor Charlie Crist will meet with Ken Fienberg, the administrator of that 20 billion dollar escrow account BP is setting up to pay claims. The meeting will be in Miami, where Crist will ask Fienberg to use some of the money to rent skimmers from other areas.

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