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1 00:00:00,867 --> 00:00:03,367 Mr. Gibbs: Good afternoon. 2 00:00:03,367 --> 00:00:07,867 Joining us in today's briefing to walk through the developments 3 00:00:07,867 --> 00:00:13,297 of the last sort of 24 to 48 hours down in the Gulf are some 4 00:00:13,300 --> 00:00:17,230 familiar faces to you all by now: Carol Browner; 5 00:00:17,233 --> 00:00:22,703 Admiral Thad Allen -- Retired Admiral Thad Allen; 6 00:00:22,700 --> 00:00:26,200 as well as NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, 7 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:28,900 who will walk us through and update us on where we are in the 8 00:00:28,900 --> 00:00:35,570 federal response, walk through an interagency scientific report 9 00:00:35,567 --> 00:00:43,937 on where the oil is and the process that it's gone through. 10 00:00:43,934 --> 00:00:49,964 I think you all heard the President discuss today that -- 11 00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:57,567 and I'll have these guys discuss sort of where we are in the 12 00:00:57,567 --> 00:00:58,897 static kill, which is good news, and it is sort of the beginning 13 00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:08,530 of the end of the sealing and containment phase of this operation. 14 00:01:08,533 --> 00:01:11,803 I want to be, though, very clear, as the President was, 15 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:16,800 that our commitment to those families, 16 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:22,900 to those communities in and along the Gulf Coast remains the 17 00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:26,430 same as it always has been. 18 00:01:26,433 --> 00:01:30,303 We are transitioning and will transition to a greater focus on 19 00:01:30,300 --> 00:01:33,700 cleanup and damage assessment. 20 00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:37,100 There is still lots of work to do, and this 21 00:01:37,100 --> 00:01:43,500 government will be here every step of the way to do that work. 22 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:45,470 That's an important message from the President. 23 00:01:45,467 --> 00:01:50,697 It's important that it is heard here, and, as importantly, 24 00:01:50,700 --> 00:01:55,000 if not more so, heard in the Gulf. 25 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:59,500 So this gives us a chance to look back at what has happened, 26 00:01:59,500 --> 00:02:03,700 where we are, as well as to discuss with you guys where we 27 00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:05,000 are heading. 28 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:10,130 And with that, I will turn this over to Dr. Lubchenco if I can 29 00:02:10,133 --> 00:02:13,363 get -- oh, look at that. 30 00:02:13,367 --> 00:02:15,097 The gizmo worked. 31 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:15,570 Dr. Lubchenco: Thanks, Robert. 32 00:02:15,567 --> 00:02:17,097 Hello, everyone. 33 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:19,530 Today, the federal government is releasing a new scientific 34 00:02:19,533 --> 00:02:23,903 analysis that addresses the question: Where did the oil go? 35 00:02:23,900 --> 00:02:28,730 This analysis uses the recently released calculation of 4.9 36 00:02:28,734 --> 00:02:30,404 million barrels, plus or minus 10%, 37 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:36,800 and includes both direct measurements as well as the best 38 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,830 estimates where direct measurements were not possible. 39 00:02:40,834 --> 00:02:45,264 The report was produced by scientific experts from a number 40 00:02:45,266 --> 00:02:48,396 of different agencies, federal agencies, 41 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,170 with peer review of the calculations that went into this 42 00:02:52,166 --> 00:02:55,796 by both other federal and non-federal scientists. 43 00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:00,070 The conclusions -- key conclusions of the report is 44 00:03:00,066 --> 00:03:03,096 that the vast majority of the oil has either evaporated or 45 00:03:03,100 --> 00:03:08,030 been burned, skimmed and recovered from the wellhead, or dispersed. 46 00:03:08,033 --> 00:03:11,563 And much of the dispersed oil is in the process of relatively 47 00:03:11,567 --> 00:03:14,437 rapid degradation. 48 00:03:14,433 --> 00:03:19,233 A significant amount of this is a direct result of the very 49 00:03:19,233 --> 00:03:22,133 robust federal response efforts. 50 00:03:22,133 --> 00:03:24,833 What I'd like to do is just walk you through the pie chart that 51 00:03:24,834 --> 00:03:28,504 you see behind us and illustrate what's in each of these 52 00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:33,270 different categories. 53 00:03:33,266 --> 00:03:38,036 A quarter of the oil, about 1.2 -- 54 00:03:38,033 --> 00:03:40,063 The Press: We can't hear you. 55 00:03:40,066 --> 00:03:40,696 Dr. Lubchenco: Does somebody want to point while I do this? 56 00:03:40,700 --> 00:03:41,470 (laughter) 57 00:03:41,467 --> 00:03:42,737 Or can I point up here? 58 00:03:42,734 --> 00:03:44,634 How can we do this? 59 00:03:44,633 --> 00:03:45,833 Mr. Gibbs: Here, I'll be your professional pointer and you can -- 60 00:03:45,834 --> 00:03:47,364 Dr. Lubchenco: Okay, thank you. 61 00:03:47,367 --> 00:03:48,567 Mr. Gibbs: I'll be Vanna White. 62 00:03:48,567 --> 00:03:49,667 Dr. Lubchenco: Okay, Vanna. 63 00:03:49,667 --> 00:03:51,797 (laughter) 64 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:56,930 About a quarter of the oil has been evaporated or dissolved. 65 00:03:56,934 --> 00:04:01,934 This is about 1.2 million barrels. 66 00:04:01,934 --> 00:04:03,464 That happens naturally. 67 00:04:03,467 --> 00:04:04,997 That's a natural process. 68 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:10,530 And much of that happened as the oil was being released day to day. 69 00:04:10,533 --> 00:04:19,863 Moving around, let's go to the upper right, Robert. 70 00:04:19,867 --> 00:04:28,267 About 17%, or -- I'm sorry, 827,000 barrels were recovered 71 00:04:28,266 --> 00:04:30,096 directly from the well site. 72 00:04:30,100 --> 00:04:34,000 So we know we've got that number measured directly. 73 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,200 An additional 5% was burned. 74 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,570 Another 3% was skimmed. 75 00:04:39,567 --> 00:04:45,567 In addition to that, 8% of the oil that was released has been 76 00:04:45,567 --> 00:04:48,997 chemically dispersed both with dispersants at the surface, 77 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,300 as well as subsea. 78 00:04:51,300 --> 00:04:55,230 And so if you total up those five pie charts -- 79 00:04:55,233 --> 00:04:59,963 direct recovery, burned, skimmed and chemically dispersed -- 80 00:04:59,967 --> 00:05:03,797 that gives you a sense of what the results of the federal 81 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:05,670 effort have been. 82 00:05:05,667 --> 00:05:07,967 And it totals about a third of the total amount of oil 83 00:05:07,967 --> 00:05:11,897 that has been released. 84 00:05:11,900 --> 00:05:18,430 Naturally dispersed oil is also -- accounts for 16%. 85 00:05:18,433 --> 00:05:22,903 As oil was being released from the wellhead or from the riser 86 00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:28,630 pipe, it naturally becomes mixed in turbulent conditions and 87 00:05:28,633 --> 00:05:32,763 broken up into small, microscopic droplets that remain 88 00:05:32,767 --> 00:05:37,167 -- if they are small enough, they remain below the 89 00:05:37,166 --> 00:05:38,936 surface of the water. 90 00:05:38,934 --> 00:05:45,904 And so 16% naturally dispersed; 8% chemically dispersed. 91 00:05:45,900 --> 00:05:53,430 That oil is in very, very dilute clouds of microscopic droplets 92 00:05:53,433 --> 00:05:55,533 beneath the surface. 93 00:05:55,533 --> 00:06:00,263 That is in the process of being very rapidly degraded naturally. 94 00:06:00,266 --> 00:06:04,336 And so Mother Nature is assisting here considerably. 95 00:06:04,333 --> 00:06:08,333 So the pieces of the pie chart that we have looked at directly 96 00:06:08,333 --> 00:06:12,203 now account for those things that we can measure directly or 97 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,670 have very good estimates for. 98 00:06:14,667 --> 00:06:17,767 The residual, which is the upper left part of the pie chart, 99 00:06:17,767 --> 00:06:19,237 is 26%. 100 00:06:19,233 --> 00:06:23,663 And that's a combination of oil that is in light sheen at the 101 00:06:23,667 --> 00:06:28,197 surface, or in tar balls, or has been washed ashore. 102 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,070 And much of that has been recovered by federal cleanup 103 00:06:31,066 --> 00:06:33,396 efforts and state cleanup efforts. 104 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:40,630 About 37,000 tons of material have been removed from the 105 00:06:40,633 --> 00:06:44,033 beaches already and we'll continue to do so. 106 00:06:44,033 --> 00:06:48,863 So I think the bottom line here is that the -- 107 00:06:48,867 --> 00:06:55,637 we can account for all but about 26%. 108 00:06:55,633 --> 00:06:58,803 And of that, much of that is being -- 109 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:08,470 in the process of being degraded and cleaned up on the shore. 110 00:07:08,467 --> 00:07:13,337 I think it's important to point out that at least 50% of the oil 111 00:07:13,333 --> 00:07:16,833 that was released is now completely gone from the system. 112 00:07:16,834 --> 00:07:19,834 And most of the remainder is degrading rapidly or is being 113 00:07:19,834 --> 00:07:29,634 removed from the beaches. 114 00:07:29,633 --> 00:07:37,263 I want to also point out simply that we continue to have a very 115 00:07:37,266 --> 00:07:43,536 aggressive effort to understand more about where the oil was and 116 00:07:43,533 --> 00:07:46,033 what its fate has been. 117 00:07:46,033 --> 00:07:49,233 A large number of research vessels continue to be active in 118 00:07:49,233 --> 00:07:53,103 the Gulf, and they're underway to understand the concentrations 119 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:57,900 of subsurface oil and exactly what -- 120 00:07:57,900 --> 00:08:00,800 the rate at which it is being biodegraded. 121 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:06,200 We'll continue to monitor and sample this oil and report new 122 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:12,030 results as they emerge. 123 00:08:12,033 --> 00:08:13,963 Admiral Allen: Thank you, Jane. 124 00:08:13,967 --> 00:08:14,897 Good afternoon. 125 00:08:14,900 --> 00:08:18,970 The last 24 hours have been fairly consequential in the life 126 00:08:18,967 --> 00:08:20,297 cycle of this response. 127 00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:23,600 I'd like to go over a couple of things that have transpired. 128 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:27,170 After a successful injection test yesterday allowed us to 129 00:08:27,166 --> 00:08:30,966 understand the path at which liquids would go down the well, 130 00:08:30,967 --> 00:08:34,397 the amount of volume we could put in the well and the pressure 131 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,200 readings that we could take at the various places where the 132 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,800 gages were placed gave us confidence we could go ahead. 133 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:44,000 And we directed BP to proceed with the static kill. 134 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,670 That began yesterday afternoon and went on throughout the 135 00:08:45,667 --> 00:08:48,637 evening and into the night and resulted in the well being 136 00:08:48,633 --> 00:08:50,503 filled with mud. 137 00:08:50,500 --> 00:08:52,370 We now have equalized the pressure -- 138 00:08:52,367 --> 00:08:54,597 the hydrostatic pressure of the seawater with the pressure 139 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:59,230 inside the capping stack, and basically have reached a static 140 00:08:59,233 --> 00:09:02,603 condition in the well that allows us to have high 141 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,930 confidence that there will be no oil leaking into the environment. 142 00:09:05,934 --> 00:09:10,334 And we have significantly improved our chances to finally 143 00:09:10,333 --> 00:09:14,163 kill the well with the relief wells when that does occur. 144 00:09:14,166 --> 00:09:17,066 The discussions that are going on today between the science 145 00:09:17,066 --> 00:09:19,466 team down in Houston and the BP engineers are regarding whether 146 00:09:19,467 --> 00:09:21,767 or not we should follow up the mud that has been put into the 147 00:09:21,767 --> 00:09:24,497 wellbore with actual cement. 148 00:09:24,500 --> 00:09:27,630 And the discussion around that revolves around what we think 149 00:09:27,633 --> 00:09:31,763 the status of the drill pipe is: Is it still where we thought it was? 150 00:09:31,767 --> 00:09:35,297 Because where that drill pipe is, is consequential 151 00:09:35,300 --> 00:09:37,900 in how you put the cement in and the success of cementing it. 152 00:09:37,900 --> 00:09:40,200 Those discussions are ongoing. 153 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,530 We will not make a decision on that until we've reached a 154 00:09:42,533 --> 00:09:44,703 resolution on our best estimate of what the condition of the 155 00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:47,670 drill pipe is inside the casing. 156 00:09:47,667 --> 00:09:49,537 Once the decision has been made on cementing, 157 00:09:49,533 --> 00:09:52,063 whether to cement or not, then the next step will be to finish 158 00:09:52,066 --> 00:09:54,596 off the relief well. 159 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,030 As you know, we are about 100 feet away from where we would 160 00:09:58,033 --> 00:10:00,303 intersect the well and about four and a half feet 161 00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:02,800 horizontally away from it. 162 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:06,230 We would proceed forward in anywhere between 10- and 20-foot 163 00:10:06,233 --> 00:10:08,603 increments, drilling and then backing out and putting what we 164 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,800 call a ranging tool in that will allow us to understand to exact 165 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,100 detail through a measurement of the magnetic field of the casing 166 00:10:15,100 --> 00:10:17,300 how close we were coming. 167 00:10:17,300 --> 00:10:18,870 We will continue to do that. 168 00:10:18,867 --> 00:10:21,167 This job will not be complete until we finish the relief well 169 00:10:21,166 --> 00:10:23,536 and have pumped the mud in and cemented it from the bottom, 170 00:10:23,533 --> 00:10:25,333 or the bottom kill, if you will. 171 00:10:25,333 --> 00:10:27,133 So this is a very significant step. 172 00:10:27,133 --> 00:10:30,363 It's told us a lot more about the well itself. 173 00:10:30,367 --> 00:10:32,937 We will learn more in the discussions today about whether 174 00:10:32,934 --> 00:10:35,604 or not we need to move to have cementing as the final portion 175 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:36,000 of the static kill. 176 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,000 But the static kill is only the preliminary portion to what 177 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,270 ultimately will be the bottom kill. 178 00:10:41,266 --> 00:10:44,436 Regarding response operations, we continue to aggressively 179 00:10:44,433 --> 00:10:46,533 pursue the oil that's onshore and in the marsh areas, 180 00:10:46,533 --> 00:10:49,833 some of the more heavily impacted areas around Barataria 181 00:10:49,834 --> 00:10:52,234 Bay to the west of the Mississippi River, 182 00:10:52,233 --> 00:10:56,333 the Chandeleur Islands, Breton Sound, Pass a Loutre, 183 00:10:56,333 --> 00:10:57,563 some areas in the Mississippi Sound. 184 00:10:57,567 --> 00:11:00,437 We are resolute in our commitment to continue that 185 00:11:00,433 --> 00:11:01,363 response and cleanup. 186 00:11:01,367 --> 00:11:03,837 Our forces are standing by. 187 00:11:03,834 --> 00:11:07,904 While we look to have an end to the source of the oil and 188 00:11:07,900 --> 00:11:10,900 containment, we are redoubling our efforts to make sure that 189 00:11:10,900 --> 00:11:13,830 the oil that's out there is being cleaned up and being 190 00:11:13,834 --> 00:11:16,164 disposed of as effectively as possible. 191 00:11:16,166 --> 00:11:19,766 We will continue to do that, and we will resolutely hold BP 192 00:11:19,767 --> 00:11:22,767 accountable until all the oil is cleaned up and we start moving 193 00:11:22,767 --> 00:11:30,867 into the recovery phase and the assessment of damage to the environment. 194 00:11:30,867 --> 00:11:33,837 Ms. Browner: As you've heard, it's been an interesting 24 hours, 195 00:11:33,834 --> 00:11:37,034 I think making real progress in terms of getting this well 196 00:11:37,033 --> 00:11:37,803 finally closed. 197 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:39,400 The fact that we are not going to have any more leaking in the 198 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:43,930 near term is certainly good news for the Gulf of Mexico and the communities. 199 00:11:43,934 --> 00:11:46,134 I think we also have good information now from our 200 00:11:46,133 --> 00:11:48,903 scientists in terms of where the oil went, 201 00:11:48,900 --> 00:11:51,200 how the oil is behaving. 202 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:55,500 But we want to be very, very clear that this does not mean 203 00:11:55,500 --> 00:11:56,600 there isn't more to be done. 204 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,730 There remains a lot to be done. 205 00:11:58,734 --> 00:12:01,164 While sort of the first phase of closing the well may be coming 206 00:12:01,166 --> 00:12:03,366 to an end, there's another phase, which is the restoration. 207 00:12:03,367 --> 00:12:07,137 It's making sure that these communities, 208 00:12:07,133 --> 00:12:09,703 the individuals in these communities, are made whole. 209 00:12:09,700 --> 00:12:13,870 We are going to continue to ensure that BP is held 210 00:12:13,867 --> 00:12:16,897 accountable for the damage that they did, 211 00:12:16,900 --> 00:12:18,870 for the economic losses, and ultimately for the natural 212 00:12:18,867 --> 00:12:23,167 resource damages and all of the restoration that will take place 213 00:12:23,166 --> 00:12:30,496 in the Gulf communities and in the Gulf at large. 214 00:12:30,500 --> 00:12:32,770 Mr. Gibbs: With that, Ms. Loven. 215 00:12:32,767 --> 00:12:35,337 The Press: Yes, this would be I guess both for Carol and for Dr. Lubchenco. 216 00:12:35,333 --> 00:12:37,733 As I understand it, some outside scientists have some concerns 217 00:12:37,734 --> 00:12:45,134 about such a sort of neat and tidy conclusion to where the oil has gone. 218 00:12:45,133 --> 00:12:47,633 And I'm wondering whether it's -- 219 00:12:47,633 --> 00:12:52,363 whether that definitive of a conclusion is really warranted 220 00:12:52,367 --> 00:12:56,497 with science, and why you wouldn't release the pages of 221 00:12:56,500 --> 00:13:03,070 scientific backup to show how it was arrived at. 222 00:13:03,066 --> 00:13:06,696 Dr. Lubchenco: We believe that these are the best direct measurements or 223 00:13:06,700 --> 00:13:08,400 estimates that we have at the moment. 224 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:10,670 We have high degree of confidence in them. 225 00:13:10,667 --> 00:13:14,697 If new information comes to light, 226 00:13:14,700 --> 00:13:19,470 we will continue to upgrade the estimates, 227 00:13:19,467 --> 00:13:23,837 as is always the case in science. 228 00:13:23,834 --> 00:13:28,304 The numbers that went into the calculations are posted on the website. 229 00:13:28,300 --> 00:13:34,330 Anyone can readily see how the budget calculator was -- 230 00:13:34,333 --> 00:13:36,933 how the tool was developed, what's in it, 231 00:13:36,934 --> 00:13:38,464 what went into each of those different categories, 232 00:13:38,467 --> 00:13:41,067 how they are defined, how it was calculated. 233 00:13:41,066 --> 00:13:46,236 So we would certainly welcome others using that tool and 234 00:13:46,233 --> 00:13:49,533 fact-checking, running the numbers. 235 00:13:49,533 --> 00:13:52,503 And I'm pretty sure they'll come up with the same estimates. 236 00:13:52,500 --> 00:13:54,730 The Press: Will you seek new estimates or is this sort of your last 237 00:13:54,734 --> 00:14:02,034 attempt to look at where this amount of oil has gone? 238 00:14:02,033 --> 00:14:05,103 Dr. Lubchenco: Well, some of the numbers are clearly not going to change. 239 00:14:05,100 --> 00:14:10,300 The amount of oil that was captured from the wellhead we know. 240 00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:11,000 The Press: Right -- 241 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,700 Dr. Lubchenco: The amount that has been skimmed and burned is not 242 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:14,000 likely to change. 243 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,570 There's just very little oil on the surface now. 244 00:14:16,567 --> 00:14:20,067 There's not much oil that is visible other than right along 245 00:14:20,066 --> 00:14:22,336 the shore and on some of the beaches. 246 00:14:22,333 --> 00:14:25,403 So those numbers are not going to change. 247 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,370 The amount that was chemically dispersed is not likely to 248 00:14:28,367 --> 00:14:31,367 change; we're not using dispersants anymore. 249 00:14:31,367 --> 00:14:34,467 The amount that was naturally dispersed is a result of direct 250 00:14:34,467 --> 00:14:37,867 calculations of how much turbulence there was and what we 251 00:14:37,867 --> 00:14:42,697 know about how oil behaves at different depths under pressure. 252 00:14:42,700 --> 00:14:44,330 The amount that was evaporated or dissolved is I think a pretty 253 00:14:44,333 --> 00:14:48,203 good estimate. 254 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:54,070 So the one piece of the pie that is left after you sum all those 255 00:14:54,066 --> 00:14:56,866 others is what we're calling the residual, 256 00:14:56,867 --> 00:14:59,767 and that's a combination of things that we cannot measure 257 00:14:59,767 --> 00:15:04,767 directly or estimate with confidence. 258 00:15:04,767 --> 00:15:07,467 Mr. Gibbs: Just to add to that, I mean, I think, to mention this -- 259 00:15:07,467 --> 00:15:09,537 Dr. Lubchenco just mentioned on the residual -- 260 00:15:09,533 --> 00:15:14,303 some of this is oil that, in tar balls, has, as she said earlier, 261 00:15:14,300 --> 00:15:15,730 washed up on the beach. 262 00:15:15,734 --> 00:15:19,464 It's been removed but isn't measurable because you're 263 00:15:19,467 --> 00:15:21,437 removing it -- you may remove this with sand. 264 00:15:21,433 --> 00:15:23,133 That's the 37,000 tons. 265 00:15:23,133 --> 00:15:27,703 So some of the 26 is immeasurable or unknowable. 266 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:30,000 Dr. Lubchenco: I also want to point out one thing, 267 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,630 and that is that there are three categories on your pie chart 268 00:15:32,633 --> 00:15:34,533 that have a little asterisk by them -- 269 00:15:34,533 --> 00:15:37,633 residual, naturally and chemically dispersed. 270 00:15:37,633 --> 00:15:44,933 And it's important to recognize that each of those categories is 271 00:15:44,934 --> 00:15:50,504 being -- the oil in those categories is being degraded, 272 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:51,200 naturally degraded. 273 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,400 And so some of the residual that might be in marshes, 274 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:58,500 for example, or tar balls is being biodegraded. 275 00:15:58,500 --> 00:16:02,170 The oil that is beneath the surface as a result of 276 00:16:02,166 --> 00:16:05,566 dispersion and these microscopic droplets is in the process of 277 00:16:05,567 --> 00:16:07,197 rapid degradation. 278 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:11,370 And so what you see on this pie chart, as Robert indicated, 279 00:16:11,367 --> 00:16:15,367 is a sum total of where the oil went over time. 280 00:16:15,367 --> 00:16:19,997 But it doesn't necessarily represent what's there at this moment. 281 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:20,470 The Press: All right. 282 00:16:20,467 --> 00:16:21,937 And just to follow up really quickly, 283 00:16:21,934 --> 00:16:25,704 if any of you all could speak to what you think the level of 284 00:16:25,700 --> 00:16:28,970 NOAA's credibility should be on a conclusion this dramatic -- 285 00:16:28,967 --> 00:16:32,437 potentially pivotal, when there were points in the process when 286 00:16:32,433 --> 00:16:35,863 NOAA was insisting the amount of oil that was leaking or that 287 00:16:35,867 --> 00:16:39,267 there wasn't any under the surface that turned out not to be right. 288 00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:42,096 Mr. Gibbs: Let me take that question because it would be unfair to 289 00:16:42,100 --> 00:16:45,500 say that NOAA had come up with one number during this process, 290 00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:48,930 or that NOAA alone bears responsibility, 291 00:16:48,934 --> 00:16:52,404 because I think it's clear that -- 292 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:55,000 look, throughout the process of this response, 293 00:16:55,000 --> 00:17:01,300 we have had the benefit of greater insight and greater technology. 294 00:17:01,300 --> 00:17:03,770 So at the beginning of this event, the explosion, 295 00:17:03,767 --> 00:17:09,137 the flow rate was measured by taking pictures of what had 296 00:17:09,133 --> 00:17:11,203 floated to the surface, okay? 297 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,370 I think by all accounts -- that happens in the first couple days. 298 00:17:14,367 --> 00:17:17,667 I think by all accounts even we would tell you that's not the 299 00:17:17,667 --> 00:17:20,437 best way to measure the flow rate. 300 00:17:20,433 --> 00:17:24,263 But that was the best way we had at that point to measure the flow rate. 301 00:17:24,266 --> 00:17:27,996 We know that as a result of adding remotely operated 302 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,170 vehicles to the site, we had the benefit of somewhat cloudy, 303 00:17:32,166 --> 00:17:34,636 two-dimensional video. 304 00:17:34,633 --> 00:17:39,363 Throughout the process, that video was enhanced and upgraded 305 00:17:39,367 --> 00:17:42,267 to the point where we had, as you all remember, 306 00:17:42,266 --> 00:17:46,496 we went from the cloudier to the much clearer two-dimensional video. 307 00:17:46,500 --> 00:17:50,500 But, again, even the two-dimensional video is hard to 308 00:17:50,500 --> 00:17:54,170 estimate because you just simply don't know the depth of that plume. 309 00:17:54,166 --> 00:18:00,696 Lastly, based on the pressure test that we required BP to 310 00:18:00,700 --> 00:18:04,330 take, we were able to add instrumentation on -- 311 00:18:04,333 --> 00:18:10,633 at the point at these caps that allowed us to measure the 312 00:18:10,633 --> 00:18:16,833 pressure both inside and directly outside of the caps and 313 00:18:16,834 --> 00:18:19,204 the blowout preventer, which gave us, quite frankly, 314 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,170 a better scientific measure. 315 00:18:21,166 --> 00:18:24,096 I've used this analogy before, but I think I want to take one 316 00:18:24,100 --> 00:18:26,000 more time to do this. 317 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,830 It is important to understand that this event happened 318 00:18:29,834 --> 00:18:33,834 5, 000 feet below the surface at a well that was several miles 319 00:18:33,834 --> 00:18:37,864 below that 5,000-foot point. 320 00:18:37,867 --> 00:18:41,737 It is measuring -- we were measuring the flow rate 321 00:18:41,734 --> 00:18:48,934 basically of an opened Coke can 5,000 feet below the ocean using 322 00:18:48,934 --> 00:18:51,764 the best available technology that we had at the time without 323 00:18:51,767 --> 00:18:54,737 the benefit of knowing how big the Coke can was. 324 00:18:54,734 --> 00:18:56,564 The Press: Right, but you're now measuring something -- 325 00:18:56,567 --> 00:18:57,267 Mr. Gibbs: That's always -- 326 00:18:57,266 --> 00:18:57,966 The Press: -- very complicated again -- 327 00:18:57,967 --> 00:18:58,697 Mr. Gibbs: Right. 328 00:18:58,700 --> 00:18:59,830 The Press: -- and saying that you have a definitive answer now. 329 00:18:59,834 --> 00:19:03,464 Mr. Gibbs: Using -- but -- and I don't think any of us would sit up 330 00:19:03,467 --> 00:19:05,997 here and tell you that we're using the same instrumentation 331 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,400 or information that was available to us on day one on 332 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:13,830 day 106 because that simply hasn't been the case with the 333 00:19:13,834 --> 00:19:18,504 flow rate, and it hasn't been the case with any of this. 334 00:19:18,500 --> 00:19:21,800 I will say this, to build off of the last question that you had, 335 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:27,530 Jennifer, NOAA will continue to make measurements of the water 336 00:19:27,533 --> 00:19:29,833 and monitor what is happening in the Gulf, 337 00:19:29,834 --> 00:19:34,264 just as the EPA will continue to monitor air and water for 338 00:19:34,266 --> 00:19:41,966 dispersants and for air quality as it's related to burns. 339 00:19:41,967 --> 00:19:44,367 That -- the testing will continue, 340 00:19:44,367 --> 00:19:48,267 but our information and our instrumentation has at each step 341 00:19:48,266 --> 00:19:51,166 in this process gotten better simply because when we started 342 00:19:51,166 --> 00:19:54,766 this, we didn't have a picture of what was going on down 5,000 343 00:19:54,767 --> 00:19:56,597 below the ocean. 344 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:57,870 We added pictures. 345 00:19:57,867 --> 00:19:59,197 We added enhanced pictures. 346 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,170 We added pressure readings. 347 00:20:01,166 --> 00:20:06,236 All of that allows you to get a much clearer and much more 348 00:20:06,233 --> 00:20:09,603 precise picture of what's going on. 349 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,200 Ms. Browner: Can I just add another point? 350 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,700 This has all been -- as Dr. Lubchenco said -- 351 00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:17,500 been subjected to a scientific protocol, 352 00:20:17,500 --> 00:20:19,530 which means you peer review, peer review and peer review. 353 00:20:19,533 --> 00:20:21,233 You look at what the inputs are. 354 00:20:21,233 --> 00:20:22,833 You look at what the models are. 355 00:20:22,834 --> 00:20:24,464 All of this has been made available. 356 00:20:24,467 --> 00:20:27,267 And so this has been a government-wide effort, 357 00:20:27,266 --> 00:20:29,636 but it wasn't just government scientists who looked at this. 358 00:20:29,633 --> 00:20:31,603 You reached out to the academic community, 359 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,470 had them look at this as the models were being developed. 360 00:20:34,467 --> 00:20:37,067 And as Robert just said and as Jane said herself, 361 00:20:37,066 --> 00:20:39,396 we may get more information, for example, 362 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:41,570 about the residuals such that some of that may fit into 363 00:20:41,567 --> 00:20:43,897 another part of the pie chart. 364 00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:45,970 But what we have tried to do from the beginning is as we have 365 00:20:45,967 --> 00:20:51,167 numbers make them available knowing that they may change. 366 00:20:51,166 --> 00:20:52,996 I think in this instance there could be some change -- 367 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:56,570 the likelihood of large-scale changes is very, 368 00:20:56,567 --> 00:20:59,937 very small because we have so much certainty in some of the numbers. 369 00:20:59,934 --> 00:21:02,734 Mr. Gibbs: Look, I don't think you can -- we wouldn't -- 370 00:21:02,734 --> 00:21:05,934 and I don't think you could certainly dismiss the role that 371 00:21:05,934 --> 00:21:07,064 Mother Nature has played. 372 00:21:07,066 --> 00:21:09,766 And you can see the role that it's played in this pie chart. 373 00:21:09,767 --> 00:21:12,837 And, look, would we be talking about a fundamentally different 374 00:21:12,834 --> 00:21:20,564 scenario in Alaska than we would in the warm waters of the Gulf? 375 00:21:20,567 --> 00:21:21,637 Absolutely. 376 00:21:21,633 --> 00:21:26,003 But that has to be taken into account in the natural 377 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:30,600 degradation and evaporation process that is a result of an 378 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:34,470 environment, quite frankly, that is not the same as Prince 379 00:21:34,467 --> 00:21:37,997 William Sound in Alaska. 380 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:39,770 Yes, ma'am. 381 00:21:39,767 --> 00:21:42,637 The Press: For the oil that's been dissolved or dispersed, 382 00:21:42,633 --> 00:21:44,333 I understand that you're saying it's degraded. 383 00:21:44,333 --> 00:21:46,733 But how can you be sure that it really isn't a threat any more 384 00:21:46,734 --> 00:21:49,764 to the wildlife? 385 00:21:49,767 --> 00:21:53,467 Dr. Lubchenco: No one is saying that it's not a threat any more. 386 00:21:53,467 --> 00:21:57,167 The oil that has been completely degraded isn't because when it 387 00:21:57,166 --> 00:22:02,336 is biodegraded it ends up being water and carbon dioxide. 388 00:22:02,333 --> 00:22:05,663 So if it has been biodegraded, if it's gone, 389 00:22:05,667 --> 00:22:07,467 then it's not a threat. 390 00:22:07,467 --> 00:22:14,297 Oil that is in microscopic droplets that is still there may 391 00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:20,700 be toxic to any of the small creatures under the water that 392 00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:23,770 are encountered -- that it encounters. 393 00:22:23,767 --> 00:22:30,597 And even in very small droplets it is -- can be toxic. 394 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:35,770 We do remain concerned and are actively studying the overall 395 00:22:35,767 --> 00:22:40,137 impact that both the oil at the surface and the oil subsurface 396 00:22:40,133 --> 00:22:45,063 has had on the entire ecosystem of the Gulf. 397 00:22:45,066 --> 00:22:49,496 The oil that is beneath the surface is in the process of 398 00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:51,830 very rapid degradation. 399 00:22:51,834 --> 00:22:53,804 It's disappearing very quickly. 400 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,470 It is very dilute. 401 00:22:57,467 --> 00:23:01,297 As you go farther and farther from the wellhead, 402 00:23:01,300 --> 00:23:08,200 the small microscopic droplets of oil are very quickly diluted 403 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:13,900 into parts per million -- parts per million, that's very, very dilute. 404 00:23:13,900 --> 00:23:18,670 And farther away from the wellhead, it's even more dilute. 405 00:23:18,667 --> 00:23:24,397 But diluted and out of sight doesn't necessarily mean benign. 406 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:29,030 And we remain concerned about the long-term impacts, 407 00:23:29,033 --> 00:23:31,633 both on the marshes and the wildlife, 408 00:23:31,633 --> 00:23:36,933 but also beneath the surface, and are actively studying that, 409 00:23:36,934 --> 00:23:41,104 both as part of our federal response and in partnership with 410 00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:44,270 much of the academic community that is also very interested in 411 00:23:44,266 --> 00:23:48,336 the overall long-term impacts of this. 412 00:23:48,333 --> 00:23:52,003 Mr. Gibbs: And Caren, again, to mention, again, the EPA will -- 413 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:56,600 has done two rounds of toxicity tests. 414 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:01,830 They will continue to monitor and do testing, as will NOAA, 415 00:24:01,834 --> 00:24:04,364 in order for us to continue to monitor and get a better understanding. 416 00:24:04,367 --> 00:24:04,837 Yunji. 417 00:24:04,834 --> 00:24:07,904 The Press: Robert, back in May, Tony Hayward said, 418 00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:09,930 "The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean; 419 00:24:09,934 --> 00:24:12,934 the amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into 420 00:24:12,934 --> 00:24:16,104 it is tiny in relation to the total water volume." 421 00:24:16,100 --> 00:24:18,600 After he said that, the President said that he would 422 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,100 have fired Mr. Hayward since he said those comments. 423 00:24:22,100 --> 00:24:25,630 Now it appears that Mr. Hayward may in fact have been right. 424 00:24:25,633 --> 00:24:27,733 Does the administration owe him an apology? 425 00:24:27,734 --> 00:24:28,804 Mr. Gibbs: No. 426 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:29,900 (laughter) 427 00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:32,600 I don't think he was right. 428 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:33,970 The Press: You don't think he was right? 429 00:24:33,967 --> 00:24:40,897 Mr. Gibbs: I mean, let's understand that a third of what is captured was 430 00:24:40,900 --> 00:24:45,430 based on -- directly on a containment strategy that had to 431 00:24:45,433 --> 00:24:46,633 be constructed. 432 00:24:46,633 --> 00:24:52,733 And I'll say this, a containment strategy that we pushed BP 433 00:24:52,734 --> 00:24:59,964 forward on, that we pushed BP to accelerate in order to capture 434 00:24:59,967 --> 00:25:02,967 the oil that was leaking. 435 00:25:02,967 --> 00:25:06,337 Nobody owes Tony Hayward an apology. 436 00:25:06,333 --> 00:25:10,133 BP has responsibilities and obligations as the responsible 437 00:25:10,133 --> 00:25:12,503 polluting party in this instance. 438 00:25:12,500 --> 00:25:15,830 Our government will ensure that the obligations and 439 00:25:15,834 --> 00:25:22,064 responsibilities that BP has continue to be met to our satisfaction. 440 00:25:22,066 --> 00:25:28,196 The apology that is owed by -- any apology that is owed is to 441 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:34,100 the disruption to the lives of families, fishermen, 442 00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:42,100 hotel owners, people that grew up in and understand the beauty 443 00:25:42,100 --> 00:25:45,270 that is the Gulf of Mexico. 444 00:25:45,266 --> 00:25:46,566 That's the apology. 445 00:25:46,567 --> 00:25:49,537 The Press: How much of the successes today that you're laying out for us is 446 00:25:49,533 --> 00:25:53,203 attributable to BP, and how much to the federal government? 447 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,700 Do you think that you had to push BP to get here? 448 00:25:55,700 --> 00:25:57,630 I see you're nodding your head. 449 00:25:57,633 --> 00:26:01,203 Mr. Gibbs: Well, again -- again, I think if you go back and look at the 450 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:06,100 directives signed by Admiral Allen to various people in the 451 00:26:06,100 --> 00:26:13,330 corporate structure at BP, we asked for and demanded that 452 00:26:13,333 --> 00:26:15,633 particularly their containment strategy be accelerated. 453 00:26:15,633 --> 00:26:20,303 We asked for and demanded that not one relief well be drilled, 454 00:26:20,300 --> 00:26:25,800 but two, in order to ensure an amount of redundancy in the 455 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:39,530 system that would allow for a mistake or an error. 456 00:26:39,533 --> 00:26:40,833 I think that the response as it is would have been different had 457 00:26:40,834 --> 00:26:42,334 Admiral Allen and others -- Carol, Jane, 458 00:26:42,333 --> 00:26:46,963 the scientific team, Secretary Chu -- 459 00:26:46,967 --> 00:26:51,937 not pushed at every step of the way for BP to do things more 460 00:26:51,934 --> 00:26:52,904 comprehensively and faster. 461 00:26:52,900 --> 00:26:55,730 The Press: I think all of you mentioned the last 24 hours have 462 00:26:55,734 --> 00:26:57,364 been eventful. 463 00:26:57,367 --> 00:26:59,467 We haven't yet heard how the President was informed of this. 464 00:26:59,467 --> 00:27:03,137 I know if maybe, Carol, you briefed him. 465 00:27:03,133 --> 00:27:04,333 Was this a phone call to him? 466 00:27:04,333 --> 00:27:09,163 Was there something in person? 467 00:27:09,166 --> 00:27:10,466 What was the moment where the President saw that maybe this 468 00:27:10,467 --> 00:27:11,737 part of the -- this phase had succeeded, and what was his reaction? 469 00:27:11,734 --> 00:27:13,464 Ms. Browner: The President is briefed virtually every day and has been 470 00:27:13,467 --> 00:27:14,137 from the beginning. 471 00:27:14,133 --> 00:27:18,163 I speak to him virtually every day, either through a memo, 472 00:27:18,166 --> 00:27:20,166 or most days I actually meet with him. 473 00:27:20,166 --> 00:27:21,936 Mr. Gibbs: Today was actually the first day he was happy to see her. 474 00:27:21,934 --> 00:27:23,934 (laughter) 475 00:27:23,934 --> 00:27:27,234 Ms. Browner: He thanked me for his birthday present. 476 00:27:27,233 --> 00:27:31,363 Last night after I got off the call with our scientists and 477 00:27:31,367 --> 00:27:34,897 Admiral Allen, I suggested to the President that it would be 478 00:27:34,900 --> 00:27:36,200 important to talk to our scientific team that was in -- 479 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,000 that are in Houston. 480 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,270 He got on the phone with Dr. Chu, with Dr. Hunter, 481 00:27:40,266 --> 00:27:42,966 who walked him sort of through where the static kill was and 482 00:27:42,967 --> 00:27:44,397 what might occur. 483 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:46,930 I then briefed him again this morning. 484 00:27:46,934 --> 00:27:49,804 But he has been kept informed and up to date at every turn. 485 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:50,730 The Press: What time was that call? 486 00:27:50,734 --> 00:27:53,434 Ms. Browner: The call was approximately 6:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. 487 00:27:53,433 --> 00:27:55,263 We released a photo from it. 488 00:27:55,266 --> 00:27:56,466 So approximately 6:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. 489 00:27:56,467 --> 00:28:00,837 Mr. Gibbs: Yes, and again, we met with him at 10:00 a.m. this morning to 490 00:28:00,834 --> 00:28:01,534 give him an update. 491 00:28:01,533 --> 00:28:02,203 I'm sure that -- 492 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,630 Ms. Browner: And the Admiral saw him at about 10:30 a.m. 493 00:28:05,633 --> 00:28:07,033 Mr. Gibbs: 10:30 a.m., yes. 494 00:28:07,033 --> 00:28:09,163 And I'm sure he will continue to get updates throughout the day, 495 00:28:09,166 --> 00:28:15,266 as Admiral Allen said, as the scientific team continues its 496 00:28:15,266 --> 00:28:18,036 meetings -- Secretary Chu and others down there talking 497 00:28:18,033 --> 00:28:21,203 directly with the President. 498 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:21,900 Chip. 499 00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:22,930 The Press: It's still a lot of oil. 500 00:28:22,934 --> 00:28:27,004 I think that the residual -- I think that's still about four to 501 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,030 five times the amount that leaked from the Exxon Valdez -- 502 00:28:30,033 --> 00:28:30,703 Mr. Gibbs: Absolutely. 503 00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:32,730 The Press: So, I mean, you're still talking -- 504 00:28:32,734 --> 00:28:34,734 is it still possible that it could get into -- 505 00:28:34,734 --> 00:28:36,604 and I know some of it's in the 37,000 gallons -- right, 506 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:40,400 right, right -- but it's still a monumental amount of oil. 507 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,300 Is it still possible that it could -- 508 00:28:42,300 --> 00:28:45,630 Mr. Gibbs: Let's be clear, Chip, this is the largest release of oil into 509 00:28:45,633 --> 00:28:49,033 water in the United States in the history of our country. 510 00:28:49,033 --> 00:28:50,033 The Press: But could we still have a scenario where it gets into the 511 00:28:50,033 --> 00:28:52,963 Loop Current, hits Florida beaches, goes around Florida, 512 00:28:52,967 --> 00:28:55,297 or in a hurricane gets driven ashore -- 513 00:28:55,300 --> 00:28:58,530 Mr. Gibbs: I think the original scenario was off the coast of Delaware 514 00:28:58,533 --> 00:29:02,463 and halfway to England by September, if I'm not mistaken. 515 00:29:02,467 --> 00:29:08,337 I'll let scientists discuss -- except you're the only scientist. 516 00:29:08,333 --> 00:29:08,763 (laughter) 517 00:29:08,767 --> 00:29:13,567 Dr. Lubchenco: There is a negligible amount of oil still at the surface. 518 00:29:13,567 --> 00:29:20,267 The Loop Current is currently not in the Gulf. 519 00:29:20,266 --> 00:29:22,696 It is going pretty much directly -- 520 00:29:22,700 --> 00:29:26,600 it comes up between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba. 521 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:31,100 And it goes pretty much directly into the Florida Strait. 522 00:29:31,100 --> 00:29:35,300 So it is not in a position to transport any oil, number one. 523 00:29:35,300 --> 00:29:36,530 The Press: It's going to stay where it is? 524 00:29:36,533 --> 00:29:40,503 Dr. Lubchenco: It may connect eventually, but the real point is that there's 525 00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:43,700 no oil for it to be picking up. 526 00:29:43,700 --> 00:29:50,730 The oil that was at the surface has pretty much either been 527 00:29:50,734 --> 00:29:53,434 naturally degraded or removed. 528 00:29:53,433 --> 00:29:55,333 The Press: Are there subsurface currents, too? 529 00:29:55,333 --> 00:29:55,863 Dr. Lubchenco: There are -- pardon me? 530 00:29:55,867 --> 00:29:57,197 The Press: Aren't there subsurface currents too? 531 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,330 Dr. Lubchenco: The Loop Current does have both a surface expression and a 532 00:30:00,333 --> 00:30:02,433 subsurface expression. 533 00:30:02,433 --> 00:30:08,233 But the oil that is -- we do not expect the Loop Current to 534 00:30:08,233 --> 00:30:13,963 become in its classic form, i.e., going into the Gulf, 535 00:30:13,967 --> 00:30:17,967 for a number of weeks, if not months. 536 00:30:17,967 --> 00:30:21,867 And the rate at which the oil that is subsurface is being 537 00:30:21,867 --> 00:30:27,697 naturally biodegraded is such that there's virtually no threat 538 00:30:27,700 --> 00:30:31,430 to the Keys or to the East Coast remaining. 539 00:30:31,433 --> 00:30:34,263 The Press: And hurricane danger? 540 00:30:34,266 --> 00:30:36,266 Of it being pushed ashore? 541 00:30:36,266 --> 00:30:41,736 Dr. Lubchenco: Again, because there is so little oil at the surface and 542 00:30:41,734 --> 00:30:46,504 the oil beneath the surface is so highly dilute, 543 00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:51,470 the largest concern from a hurricane would be the hurricane 544 00:30:51,467 --> 00:30:58,267 itself, the power of the winds, the power of the storm surge, 545 00:30:58,266 --> 00:31:00,736 should that happen. 546 00:31:00,734 --> 00:31:04,634 In most hurricanes that happen in coastal waters, 547 00:31:04,633 --> 00:31:11,863 there is some leaking of oil as a result of fuel tanks being 548 00:31:11,867 --> 00:31:17,567 breached, ship docks being impacted. 549 00:31:17,567 --> 00:31:23,237 So the likelihood that a hurricane would be affecting 550 00:31:23,233 --> 00:31:27,533 coastal areas with petroleum contamination is part of what 551 00:31:27,533 --> 00:31:34,563 FEMA and states normally have to deal with as part of a hurricane response. 552 00:31:34,567 --> 00:31:42,897 There is no additional, at this point, real concern with respect 553 00:31:42,900 --> 00:31:46,500 to any of the Deepwater Horizon oil relative to any hurricanes. 554 00:31:46,500 --> 00:31:48,070 Mr. Gibbs: Wendell. 555 00:31:48,066 --> 00:31:50,736 The Press: Doctor, what's the difference between naturally dispersed oil 556 00:31:50,734 --> 00:31:52,934 and that that is dissolved? 557 00:31:52,934 --> 00:31:54,504 One question. 558 00:31:54,500 --> 00:31:59,130 And two, what do all of these findings mean for shrimpers and fishermen? 559 00:31:59,133 --> 00:32:04,933 When can they get back to work? 560 00:32:04,934 --> 00:32:10,804 Dr. Lubchenco: Dissolving simply means taking something that is in a more 561 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:15,070 solid form and making it liquid. 562 00:32:15,066 --> 00:32:20,296 So if you put a teaspoon of sugar into your coffee or your 563 00:32:20,300 --> 00:32:21,770 teacup, it dissolves. 564 00:32:21,767 --> 00:32:24,897 And that's what happens naturally to some of the oil. 565 00:32:24,900 --> 00:32:28,730 It is dissolved, meaning that it is -- 566 00:32:28,734 --> 00:32:30,034 it still is hydrocarbon -- 567 00:32:30,033 --> 00:32:31,633 The Press: And that's different than being dispersed? 568 00:32:31,633 --> 00:32:36,463 Dr. Lubchenco: Dispersed means broken up from large chunks into smaller 569 00:32:36,467 --> 00:32:38,937 chunks, if you will. 570 00:32:38,934 --> 00:32:43,264 So the dispersed oil is just little tiny droplets that then 571 00:32:43,266 --> 00:32:45,566 remain beneath the surface. 572 00:32:45,567 --> 00:32:48,497 The Press: One less threatening than the other? 573 00:32:48,500 --> 00:32:50,470 Dr. Lubchenco: No, they're pretty comparable. 574 00:32:50,467 --> 00:32:55,237 The Press: So what does this mean for fishermen and shrimpers? 575 00:32:55,233 --> 00:33:05,103 Dr. Lubchenco: As you know, part of the federal response has been to make 576 00:33:05,100 --> 00:33:07,370 protecting the quality of seafood that gets to American 577 00:33:07,367 --> 00:33:09,337 consumers one of the highest priorities. 578 00:33:09,333 --> 00:33:12,463 To do that, our first line of defense has been to close 579 00:33:12,467 --> 00:33:14,937 federal waters to fishing where there has been oil, 580 00:33:14,934 --> 00:33:21,464 or where we anticipated it might be as it was being moved by 581 00:33:21,467 --> 00:33:25,497 currents and by the winds. 582 00:33:25,500 --> 00:33:30,800 At one point, about 36% of the Gulf was closed -- 583 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:34,870 of the federal waters in the Gulf were closed to fishing. 584 00:33:34,867 --> 00:33:37,597 Last -- was it last week that we announced -- 585 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,700 recently, we announced opening of a third of that area, 586 00:33:41,700 --> 00:33:47,100 so there is still a sizeable area that is closed to fishing 587 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:50,100 in federal waters. 588 00:33:50,100 --> 00:33:54,000 To determine whether areas are safe to reopen, 589 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:58,800 we have a very specific protocol that NOAA and the Food and Drug 590 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:02,500 Administration and the Gulf States have all agreed upon. 591 00:34:02,500 --> 00:34:10,100 That involves actively testing seafood for contaminants and 592 00:34:10,100 --> 00:34:15,030 only when they pass those tests is an area -- 593 00:34:15,033 --> 00:34:17,003 can an area be reopened. 594 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:21,170 So the first goal here is to protect the quality of the 595 00:34:21,166 --> 00:34:25,966 seafood, make sure that no contaminated seafood gets into 596 00:34:25,967 --> 00:34:31,667 the markets, to restaurants or whatever. 597 00:34:31,667 --> 00:34:42,237 The consequence to shrimpers and to fishermen remains to be calculated. 598 00:34:42,233 --> 00:34:46,563 Clearly, there has been very significant disruption to them, 599 00:34:46,567 --> 00:34:49,737 to their livelihoods. 600 00:34:49,734 --> 00:34:55,064 And our hope is to get them back fishing as soon as possible, 601 00:34:55,066 --> 00:34:57,796 but only when it's safe for them to be doing so and for the 602 00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:01,370 seafood that they're catching to be edible. 603 00:35:01,367 --> 00:35:06,767 The Press: So there's really no reassurance for them in today's findings? 604 00:35:06,767 --> 00:35:09,867 Dr. Lubchenco: I think the reassurance is that most of the oil is 605 00:35:09,867 --> 00:35:12,167 gone from the surface. 606 00:35:12,166 --> 00:35:15,366 And so we can proceed with following the reopening 607 00:35:15,367 --> 00:35:18,197 protocols as rapidly as possible. 608 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:26,300 We will do that carefully and in partnership with the states. 609 00:35:26,300 --> 00:35:28,730 The states regulate what happens in state waters. 610 00:35:28,734 --> 00:35:30,264 I want to be clear about this. 611 00:35:30,266 --> 00:35:40,696 The federal government is only responsible for federal waters. 612 00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:44,700 And the impact to fishermen is obviously quite considerable and 613 00:35:44,700 --> 00:35:47,730 is of serious concern to all of us. 614 00:35:47,734 --> 00:35:53,234 And that's part of the federal effort to address and to hold BP 615 00:35:53,233 --> 00:36:00,563 accountable for the consequence of this to those -- to the fishermen. 616 00:36:00,567 --> 00:36:03,167 Mr. Gibbs: Chuck. 617 00:36:03,166 --> 00:36:06,236 The Press: Only 8% chemically dispersed. 618 00:36:06,233 --> 00:36:08,563 Are you going to revisit the use of these chemical dispersants 619 00:36:08,567 --> 00:36:13,337 considering that, A, it only accounted for 8% of getting rid 620 00:36:13,333 --> 00:36:18,463 of it, and B, the concerns that are out there among some health 621 00:36:18,467 --> 00:36:22,397 organizations and some scientists about the effects of 622 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:23,300 these dispersants? 623 00:36:23,300 --> 00:36:24,830 Admiral Allen: Thanks, Chuck. 624 00:36:24,834 --> 00:36:26,864 As you know, this has been a topic that's been discussed 625 00:36:26,867 --> 00:36:28,397 extensively over the last couple of months. 626 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:32,330 As we got into the spill, we were using preexisting protocols 627 00:36:32,333 --> 00:36:34,533 that are authorized under law for the use of dispersants, 628 00:36:34,533 --> 00:36:37,403 so the use of dispersants is not illegal. 629 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,770 It is consistent with schedules that are put out by EPA. 630 00:36:40,767 --> 00:36:43,267 But it became very apparent early on that the amount that we 631 00:36:43,266 --> 00:36:46,166 were using was far more than was ever anticipated. 632 00:36:46,166 --> 00:36:49,766 And we had to start to move into the subsea category to try and 633 00:36:49,767 --> 00:36:52,197 control the oil at the source. 634 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,030 There was extensive consultation between myself and Lisa Jackson. 635 00:36:55,033 --> 00:36:57,563 Jane Lubchenco has been involved in it. 636 00:36:57,567 --> 00:37:00,637 That resulted in a 25th of May agreement to reduce dispersant 637 00:37:00,633 --> 00:37:04,063 use by 75%; as of the time the well was capped, 638 00:37:04,066 --> 00:37:05,896 we had reduced it 72%. 639 00:37:05,900 --> 00:37:08,030 We didn't know that there would have to be exceptions where you 640 00:37:08,033 --> 00:37:11,603 had oil that was going to have a dramatic impact should it come 641 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:15,300 ashore, that you could not burn or skim -- 642 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:16,570 there was no other way to deal with it. 643 00:37:16,567 --> 00:37:19,267 On the 22nd of June, I agreed with Lisa Jackson we would put 644 00:37:19,266 --> 00:37:22,836 somebody from EPA into the review process down at the 645 00:37:22,834 --> 00:37:24,064 Unified Area Command. 646 00:37:24,066 --> 00:37:26,496 And we continue to work this problem going forward. 647 00:37:26,500 --> 00:37:30,100 Just prior to the capping stack being put on, 648 00:37:30,100 --> 00:37:34,670 I convened a conference call with Jane, Lisa Jackson, 649 00:37:34,667 --> 00:37:36,697 Marcia McNutt and some other folks to talk about the 650 00:37:36,700 --> 00:37:39,470 interplay between skimming, burning, 651 00:37:39,467 --> 00:37:41,797 use of dispersants and the tools that are available to our 652 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:43,200 commanders that are out there. 653 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:45,570 We have never had to use these tools on the order of magnitude 654 00:37:45,567 --> 00:37:46,967 they were employed during this response. 655 00:37:46,967 --> 00:37:49,667 I think a very thoughtful analysis of how they were 656 00:37:49,667 --> 00:37:53,597 employed, the effectiveness that was achieved, 657 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:54,400 is going to be necessary going forward. 658 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:56,230 And we, in fact, had started to engage in that discussion while 659 00:37:56,233 --> 00:37:58,703 the spill was going on. 660 00:37:58,700 --> 00:37:59,600 The well has been capped. 661 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:00,870 There's no oil out there right now. 662 00:38:00,867 --> 00:38:02,067 The questions remain. 663 00:38:02,066 --> 00:38:04,436 And I think any commission work or any follow-on work needs to 664 00:38:04,433 --> 00:38:07,803 take a look at the relative effectiveness of all those tools 665 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:09,100 and should guide future policy. 666 00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:10,830 The Press: But it sounds like the idea of maybe chemical dispersants, 667 00:38:10,834 --> 00:38:13,804 considering what they accounted for, 668 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:16,000 maybe can easily be avoided? 669 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,630 Admiral Allen: Well, I don't think we ought to jump to that conclusion because 670 00:38:18,633 --> 00:38:22,003 oil is very toxic. 671 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:25,270 And there are times when you cannot skim and you cannot burn, 672 00:38:25,266 --> 00:38:27,736 and you have to make a decision on how you're going to deal with that. 673 00:38:27,734 --> 00:38:31,034 And those are tactical decisions our commanders make on the scene. 674 00:38:31,033 --> 00:38:32,803 Mr. Gibbs: Let me just add a little context to this because, Chuck, 675 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:35,130 we spend a lot of time in here and you all spend a lot of time 676 00:38:35,133 --> 00:38:39,003 covering not enough skimmers, right? 677 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:42,470 So it's almost three times the amount of oil was chemically 678 00:38:42,467 --> 00:38:44,767 dispersed as was skimmed, despite the fact that we were -- 679 00:38:44,767 --> 00:38:49,097 and we now have I think on the order of, 680 00:38:49,100 --> 00:38:53,070 probably in the region somewhere between 700 and 800 skimmers, right? 681 00:38:53,066 --> 00:38:58,266 So 8% may not sound like a lot. 682 00:38:58,266 --> 00:39:02,196 The amount -- again, we were using this also at a subsea -- 683 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:05,230 at the wellhead in a way that hadn't been used before. 684 00:39:05,233 --> 00:39:09,863 In terms of the toxicity, I'll reiterate what I said earlier -- 685 00:39:09,867 --> 00:39:13,167 and we'll send this around to everybody. 686 00:39:13,166 --> 00:39:17,236 On Monday, the EPA put out the second of its toxicity tests on 687 00:39:17,233 --> 00:39:20,163 oil dispersants. 688 00:39:20,166 --> 00:39:25,966 The tests showed that what they found was no more toxic than the oil. 689 00:39:25,967 --> 00:39:32,567 So the notion that you didn't have huge amounts of it washing 690 00:39:32,567 --> 00:39:35,237 up at Port St. Joe, or -- 691 00:39:35,233 --> 00:39:37,803 The Press: Yes, but there has been a concern that dispersant and oil 692 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:41,830 together actually can -- there's been some -- 693 00:39:41,834 --> 00:39:45,334 and I know that it's not been government scientists that said 694 00:39:45,333 --> 00:39:46,903 this concern that the combination actually could be more -- 695 00:39:46,900 --> 00:39:52,230 Mr. Gibbs: And that concern has -- is why EPA tested before, 696 00:39:52,233 --> 00:39:54,733 tested and released those results on Monday, 697 00:39:54,734 --> 00:40:00,204 which showed that despite a hypothesis that that plus the 698 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:03,370 oil might increase the toxicity, that was found not to be true. 699 00:40:03,367 --> 00:40:08,597 And EPA will continue to monitor the area as we go forward so 700 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:12,030 that we have a better understanding of what's going on. 701 00:40:12,033 --> 00:40:14,433 Admiral Allen: And Chuck, that test specifically focused on mixing 702 00:40:14,433 --> 00:40:17,303 the oil with the dispersants and found out that it was the more 703 00:40:17,300 --> 00:40:19,070 greater toxicity. 704 00:40:19,066 --> 00:40:21,136 The Press: And the moratorium, the drilling moratorium. 705 00:40:21,133 --> 00:40:24,833 Considering where we are now, any consideration being given by 706 00:40:24,834 --> 00:40:27,904 the administration to speed up the lifting of this moratorium? 707 00:40:27,900 --> 00:40:29,870 Mr. Gibbs: Well, we talked about this this morning, and I think it is -- 708 00:40:29,867 --> 00:40:31,137 I think we should be clear about this. 709 00:40:31,133 --> 00:40:33,633 The President -- this is a -- the President put in place a 710 00:40:33,633 --> 00:40:36,533 temporary deepwater drilling moratorium. 711 00:40:36,533 --> 00:40:44,603 I've said, and he has said, this was not and is not intended to 712 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:47,330 be a permanent ban on deepwater drilling. 713 00:40:47,333 --> 00:40:49,903 But the President I think has laid out a series of fairly 714 00:40:49,900 --> 00:40:54,470 common-sense tests that he believes have to be met. 715 00:40:54,467 --> 00:40:58,137 What happened? 716 00:40:58,133 --> 00:41:02,363 Do we have a full understanding of what in this well went wrong? 717 00:41:02,367 --> 00:41:04,137 How do we ensure, understanding that, 718 00:41:04,133 --> 00:41:07,503 that it never happens again? 719 00:41:07,500 --> 00:41:10,370 In other words, was this a one-off event based on 720 00:41:10,367 --> 00:41:13,667 circumstances at this well? 721 00:41:13,667 --> 00:41:17,837 Was this a problem with technology that exists on wells 722 00:41:17,834 --> 00:41:19,834 throughout the Gulf? 723 00:41:19,834 --> 00:41:20,934 How do we understand that? 724 00:41:20,934 --> 00:41:25,304 And then thirdly, ensuring that companies that are undertaking 725 00:41:25,300 --> 00:41:30,270 what we know is a risky venture 5,000 feet below the ocean, 726 00:41:30,266 --> 00:41:33,736 making sure that these companies have a containment plan that's 727 00:41:33,734 --> 00:41:37,834 commensurate with the type of activity they're undertaking. 728 00:41:37,834 --> 00:41:40,104 The Press: So, in short, no plans to speed up any -- 729 00:41:40,100 --> 00:41:41,030 Mr. Gibbs: Hold on, let me finish. 730 00:41:41,033 --> 00:41:47,663 So once all three of those can be met, 731 00:41:47,667 --> 00:41:48,297 the President will lift that moratorium. 732 00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:52,500 And if those conditions can be met before the end of November, 733 00:41:52,500 --> 00:41:54,430 we'd certainly happily do that. 734 00:41:54,433 --> 00:41:57,163 We just want to ensure, from a very common-sense standpoint, 735 00:41:57,166 --> 00:42:01,236 that those conditions and those tests are, 736 00:42:01,233 --> 00:42:04,433 to the best of the ability of those involved, 737 00:42:04,433 --> 00:42:06,063 understood and accounted for. 738 00:42:06,066 --> 00:42:10,166 And, again, I think -- I'd go back to -- 739 00:42:10,166 --> 00:42:13,936 all the weeks now tend to blur together -- 740 00:42:13,934 --> 00:42:16,934 but the oil companies with drilling permits in the Gulf 741 00:42:16,934 --> 00:42:25,064 have discussed and made mention of both a fund and a more 742 00:42:25,066 --> 00:42:30,266 comprehensive series of plans to contain the oil. 743 00:42:30,266 --> 00:42:32,436 That's a good step in the right direction. 744 00:42:32,433 --> 00:42:33,863 I will say this. 745 00:42:33,867 --> 00:42:35,637 Remember, when we were discussing this in the very 746 00:42:35,633 --> 00:42:38,803 beginning, the advent of the oil moratorium would be, 747 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:40,930 every one of these rigs would go somewhere else. 748 00:42:40,934 --> 00:42:45,664 That also, in the numbers in which those predictions were 749 00:42:45,667 --> 00:42:47,867 made, those numbers have not come to fruition. 750 00:42:47,867 --> 00:42:49,697 The Press: I have a non-spill question. 751 00:42:49,700 --> 00:42:50,330 You want me to wait? 752 00:42:50,333 --> 00:42:52,103 Mr. Gibbs: Yes, we'll go ahead. 753 00:42:52,100 --> 00:42:52,870 The Press: Thanks. 754 00:42:52,867 --> 00:42:54,997 I'd like to get to how this report will be used as the basis 755 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,430 for the legal case against BP. 756 00:42:58,433 --> 00:43:02,633 For example, the 827,000 barrels of oil recovered at the well 757 00:43:02,633 --> 00:43:04,933 site, will that form the basis of the fines? 758 00:43:04,934 --> 00:43:07,534 Will BP be fined for that oil? 759 00:43:07,533 --> 00:43:11,303 Mr. Gibbs: Well, I will say -- I'm going to leave -- 760 00:43:11,300 --> 00:43:13,630 we only have one scientist and we have no lawyers that I know 761 00:43:13,633 --> 00:43:14,933 of -- are you a lawyer? 762 00:43:14,934 --> 00:43:15,704 I'm sorry. 763 00:43:15,700 --> 00:43:17,800 (laughter) 764 00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:18,130 The Press: I went to law school. 765 00:43:18,133 --> 00:43:18,833 Mr. Gibbs: I'm sorry. 766 00:43:18,834 --> 00:43:21,304 Well, are you a lawyer or an attorney? 767 00:43:21,300 --> 00:43:22,500 The Press: I'm not a Justice Department attorney. 768 00:43:22,500 --> 00:43:23,570 (laughter) 769 00:43:23,567 --> 00:43:25,837 Mr. Gibbs: I'll leave the legal questions up to the Department of Justice. 770 00:43:25,834 --> 00:43:29,364 Understand that the law provides for and Justice will go through 771 00:43:29,367 --> 00:43:37,437 the process of adjudicating -- the law calls for a per-barrel 772 00:43:37,433 --> 00:43:45,063 fine I think of up to -- I think it's $4,300 per barrel per day 773 00:43:45,066 --> 00:43:49,736 that BP could be -- that BP will be liable for. 774 00:43:49,734 --> 00:43:52,704 They'll get a -- they are getting bills from us on -- 775 00:43:52,700 --> 00:43:54,900 for cleanup activities now. 776 00:43:54,900 --> 00:43:59,400 They will get a bill and a penalty for the amount of 777 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:00,630 pollution emitted into the Gulf. 778 00:44:00,633 --> 00:44:03,363 They will also be on the hook for natural resource damage 779 00:44:03,367 --> 00:44:06,337 assessments for the damage that's been done, 780 00:44:06,333 --> 00:44:10,603 as well as the $20 billion that's in the escrow fund to 781 00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:17,430 compensate for the economic claims of the damage. 782 00:44:17,433 --> 00:44:20,963 The Press: You cite a variety of scientists who participated in preparing 783 00:44:20,967 --> 00:44:21,637 this report. 784 00:44:21,633 --> 00:44:27,863 Did some of BP's own scientists or any from the oil industry participate? 785 00:44:27,867 --> 00:44:33,237 Dr. Lubchenco: The names of all of the people who participated in the report 786 00:44:33,233 --> 00:44:36,803 and the calculations that went into it are listed in the 787 00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:39,670 report, so you can actually look at them. 788 00:44:39,667 --> 00:44:45,197 There were individuals from the oil industry who did some of the 789 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:51,670 peer review, but they were not involved in the original calculations. 790 00:44:51,667 --> 00:44:53,297 Mr. Gibbs: Do you have some numbers you want to -- 791 00:44:53,300 --> 00:44:56,030 Ms. Browner: I've been doing math back here. 792 00:44:56,033 --> 00:45:00,663 Dr. Lubchenco: So the question was the amount that was chemically dispersed, 793 00:45:00,667 --> 00:45:07,837 which is the 8% figure that's here, is a little over 400,000 barrels. 794 00:45:07,834 --> 00:45:09,664 That's what that equates to. 795 00:45:09,667 --> 00:45:14,467 And that's about twice the size of the Exxon Valdez spill, 796 00:45:14,467 --> 00:45:18,237 just to give you a sense, just to put that in context. 797 00:45:18,233 --> 00:45:19,403 Mr. Gibbs: Mark. 798 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,830 The Press: Admiral Allen, are you able to answer Robert's question about 799 00:45:22,834 --> 00:45:25,104 what went wrong at the well? 800 00:45:25,100 --> 00:45:30,300 Do you yet have an understanding of what happened that caused all 801 00:45:30,300 --> 00:45:34,930 this and how other drillers can avoid it? 802 00:45:34,934 --> 00:45:38,004 Admiral Allen: Well, most of that will be the result of the Marine Board of 803 00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:40,000 Investigation that's currently being convened in New Orleans. 804 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:42,700 That's jointly by Homeland Security and Department of Interior. 805 00:45:42,700 --> 00:45:45,330 That is ongoing and I would refer any questions to that. 806 00:45:45,333 --> 00:45:49,133 Obviously, as we look at controlling the well itself, 807 00:45:49,133 --> 00:45:54,003 we're going to find out where the drill pipe is at and what 808 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:55,170 the condition of the pipe is. 809 00:45:55,166 --> 00:45:56,066 We don't know exactly where it's at, 810 00:45:56,066 --> 00:45:57,036 and that's kind of the subject of some of the discussions today 811 00:45:57,033 --> 00:45:58,303 about how the cementing should proceed. 812 00:45:58,300 --> 00:46:00,470 We don't know exactly the condition of the annulus. 813 00:46:00,467 --> 00:46:03,867 We are going to have to take the blowout preventer off and take a 814 00:46:03,867 --> 00:46:04,467 look at it. 815 00:46:04,467 --> 00:46:06,797 So I think it's all a story that's still unfolding. 816 00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:09,370 By the time we finish the static kill and the bottom kill, 817 00:46:09,367 --> 00:46:10,497 we'll know more about it. 818 00:46:10,500 --> 00:46:12,570 But I'm not sure we'll have a definitive answer until those 819 00:46:12,567 --> 00:46:13,937 other actions are taken. 820 00:46:13,934 --> 00:46:15,834 The Press: Do you have an idea? 821 00:46:15,834 --> 00:46:17,064 Admiral Allen: I wouldn't want to speculate. 822 00:46:17,066 --> 00:46:18,396 Mr. Gibbs: Roger. 823 00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:24,200 The Press: Yes, early on in the spill, government scientists said that 824 00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:27,670 the effects of the spill would linger for I think it was around 825 00:46:27,667 --> 00:46:30,497 10 years or something like that -- some big number. 826 00:46:30,500 --> 00:46:33,030 As a result of the evaporation and the collection and stuff 827 00:46:33,033 --> 00:46:35,733 that you have today, has that assessment changed or 828 00:46:35,734 --> 00:46:38,804 is it still 10 years? 829 00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:44,830 Dr. Lubchenco: I think the common view of most of the scientists inside and 830 00:46:44,834 --> 00:46:49,904 outside government is that the effects of this spill will 831 00:46:49,900 --> 00:46:53,200 likely linger for decades. 832 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:56,000 The fact that so much of the oil has been removed and in the 833 00:46:56,000 --> 00:47:00,630 process of being degraded is very significant and means that 834 00:47:00,633 --> 00:47:04,703 the impact will not be even worse than it might have been. 835 00:47:04,700 --> 00:47:07,900 But the oil that was released and has already impacted 836 00:47:07,900 --> 00:47:15,430 wildlife at the surface, young juvenile stages and eggs beneath 837 00:47:15,433 --> 00:47:20,203 the surface, will likely have very considerable impacts for 838 00:47:20,200 --> 00:47:25,000 years and possibly decades to come. 839 00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:30,000 The research investigations that are underway now are designed to 840 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:34,400 get a better handle on exactly what that impact is, 841 00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:37,270 but that's not something that is easy to determine. 842 00:47:37,266 --> 00:47:43,296 For example, bluefin tuna, who spawn at the time -- 843 00:47:43,300 --> 00:47:48,970 this time of year, have eggs and young juvenile stages called 844 00:47:48,967 --> 00:47:52,637 larvae that would have been in the water column when 845 00:47:52,633 --> 00:47:54,163 the oil was present. 846 00:47:54,166 --> 00:48:03,636 If those eggs or larvae were exposed to oil, 847 00:48:03,633 --> 00:48:11,903 they probably would have died or been significantly impacted. 848 00:48:11,900 --> 00:48:18,070 And we won't see the full result of that for a number of years to come. 849 00:48:18,066 --> 00:48:20,866 This is one of the challenges of getting a handle on the impact 850 00:48:20,867 --> 00:48:23,197 of a spill like this. 851 00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:26,200 The total amount of oil was immense, 852 00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:30,200 and the impact is likely to continue to be considerable, 853 00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:34,600 even though Mother Nature is helping assist the federal 854 00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:39,600 effort and we're aggressively removing as much as possible and 855 00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:43,670 it is degrading rapidly. 856 00:48:43,667 --> 00:48:49,337 But the impact of the oil that was released is likely to be considerable. 857 00:48:49,333 --> 00:48:49,833 Mr. Gibbs: Ari. 858 00:48:49,834 --> 00:48:51,934 The Press: Looking at the residual 26%, I know it's impossible to measure 859 00:48:51,934 --> 00:48:54,004 exactly how much of that has been scooped up, 860 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,870 but can you give us any idea of whether it's a small fraction of 861 00:48:56,867 --> 00:49:00,437 that, a majority, somewhere in the middle? 862 00:49:00,433 --> 00:49:03,963 Admiral Allen: Well, I think we know we've covered I think 36,000 or 37,000 863 00:49:03,967 --> 00:49:05,497 tons of debris. 864 00:49:05,500 --> 00:49:07,500 Some of that, if it's just sand and oil, 865 00:49:07,500 --> 00:49:09,300 it's going to have a higher concentration of sand than if it 866 00:49:09,300 --> 00:49:12,170 was on wood -- could be marsh grass and some other areas. 867 00:49:12,166 --> 00:49:15,536 So this is not going to be an exact science in how we try and 868 00:49:15,533 --> 00:49:18,963 figure out exactly what the implications of that oil is. 869 00:49:18,967 --> 00:49:22,237 We can anecdotally understand -- try and understand what it is 870 00:49:22,233 --> 00:49:24,203 from what we recovered mechanically, but it's going to 871 00:49:24,200 --> 00:49:27,000 take us a while to actually get our arms around this. 872 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:28,470 The Press: And also, is there any re-evaluation of the use of 873 00:49:28,467 --> 00:49:30,637 skimmers, given that so much effort was put into the skimmers 874 00:49:30,633 --> 00:49:33,463 and it was 3% of the total oil? 875 00:49:33,467 --> 00:49:36,697 Admiral Allen: Well, I think this gets back to the discussion we had earlier. 876 00:49:36,700 --> 00:49:37,670 I think there needs to be an evaluation of all the 877 00:49:37,667 --> 00:49:39,867 interventions that were used. 878 00:49:39,867 --> 00:49:41,267 And even among the skimmers themselves, 879 00:49:41,266 --> 00:49:42,666 there are different types of skimmers. 880 00:49:42,667 --> 00:49:44,297 There are skimmers that basically collect the oil 881 00:49:44,300 --> 00:49:45,500 then have it vacuumed. 882 00:49:45,500 --> 00:49:47,830 There are skimmers that are called oleophilic skimmers where 883 00:49:47,834 --> 00:49:50,104 you have material that oil actually sticks to and then you 884 00:49:50,100 --> 00:49:51,400 scrape it off. 885 00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:52,930 And I think when we're all done we're going to have to go back 886 00:49:52,934 --> 00:49:55,204 and say, moving forward, as we create an inventory of response 887 00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:58,070 tools, what really served us best in this response. 888 00:49:58,066 --> 00:50:01,136 Mr. Gibbs: But, again, just to do the math with these guys. 889 00:50:01,133 --> 00:50:02,003 The Press: 3% is a lot. 890 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:04,970 Mr. Gibbs: 3% is almost an Exxon-Valdez. 891 00:50:04,967 --> 00:50:08,297 So you can be the judge of the -- 892 00:50:08,300 --> 00:50:13,930 Dr. Lubchenco: Robert, could I just clarify that the residual category is a 893 00:50:13,934 --> 00:50:18,464 combination of things that cannot be easily measured or estimated. 894 00:50:18,467 --> 00:50:22,337 It's what's left over when you can measure and estimate all 895 00:50:22,333 --> 00:50:23,833 those other categories. 896 00:50:23,834 --> 00:50:28,034 And then to make a total to 100%, there's that 26%. 897 00:50:28,033 --> 00:50:31,703 So this should not be interpreted as oil that is still 898 00:50:31,700 --> 00:50:33,330 out there necessarily. 899 00:50:33,333 --> 00:50:34,933 Some of it may be. 900 00:50:34,934 --> 00:50:36,634 Some of it has already been degraded. 901 00:50:36,633 --> 00:50:38,933 Some of it has already been collected. 902 00:50:38,934 --> 00:50:41,364 So it's not still out there. 903 00:50:41,367 --> 00:50:43,037 26 isn't still out there. 904 00:50:43,033 --> 00:50:43,703 Mr. Gibbs: Ann. 905 00:50:43,700 --> 00:50:45,570 The Press: I know you're not actually putting out a "Mission 906 00:50:45,567 --> 00:50:46,867 Accomplished" banner on this, but, Admiral Allen, 907 00:50:46,867 --> 00:50:51,637 is today a day that marks a change in what this incident is, 908 00:50:51,633 --> 00:50:53,633 a change in what you're doing? 909 00:50:53,633 --> 00:50:57,563 How different does today make the entire incident? 910 00:50:57,567 --> 00:50:59,567 Admiral Allen: Well, as I think Robert said, this is the beginning of the end 911 00:50:59,567 --> 00:51:00,637 of a phase. 912 00:51:00,633 --> 00:51:02,703 I don't want to get caught up in semantics. 913 00:51:02,700 --> 00:51:04,730 It's a consequential day. 914 00:51:04,734 --> 00:51:07,504 We've significantly reduced the threat of hydrocarbons into the 915 00:51:07,500 --> 00:51:09,270 environment that have plagued us for a long, long time, 916 00:51:09,266 --> 00:51:11,266 and we took a major step on the 15th of July when we put the 917 00:51:11,266 --> 00:51:13,336 capping stack on. 918 00:51:13,333 --> 00:51:16,163 This is an insurance measure and it will bring the whole thing 919 00:51:16,166 --> 00:51:19,096 home when we actually kill the bottom of the well. 920 00:51:19,100 --> 00:51:22,470 But I think everybody needs to understand there is a 921 00:51:22,467 --> 00:51:23,637 continuum of activities. 922 00:51:23,633 --> 00:51:25,533 We want to reassure the people in the Gulf Coast and the people 923 00:51:25,533 --> 00:51:28,863 of the nation that this is just one phase of what you have to do 924 00:51:28,867 --> 00:51:31,397 to respond when you have an oil spill, because it's not just the 925 00:51:31,400 --> 00:51:33,570 on-the-water and the source control. 926 00:51:33,567 --> 00:51:35,067 It has to do with the beach cleanup, 927 00:51:35,066 --> 00:51:37,696 and it has to do with the long-term environmental damage. 928 00:51:37,700 --> 00:51:39,130 There's still a lot of work to do, 929 00:51:39,133 --> 00:51:40,933 but the nature of the work will change. 930 00:51:40,934 --> 00:51:43,234 And therefore, the type of resources, 931 00:51:43,233 --> 00:51:44,733 how we're approaching it, will have to change, too, 932 00:51:44,734 --> 00:51:46,504 because we have a different set of activities we have to deal with. 933 00:51:46,500 --> 00:51:48,170 The Press: Should we take great encouragement from what's 934 00:51:48,166 --> 00:51:49,336 happened today? 935 00:51:49,333 --> 00:51:52,303 Admiral Allen: Well, given the fact this is such a -- 936 00:51:52,300 --> 00:51:55,170 the magnitude of this event, I think we can have some optimism 937 00:51:55,166 --> 00:51:58,466 that we're not going to deal with oil that was indeterminate. 938 00:51:58,467 --> 00:52:01,667 You heard me say it was indeterminate, omni-directional. 939 00:52:01,667 --> 00:52:03,067 We didn't have a way to bound it. 940 00:52:03,066 --> 00:52:04,066 It's bounded now. 941 00:52:04,066 --> 00:52:04,896 It is bounded. 942 00:52:04,900 --> 00:52:07,070 The Press: What's the timeframe from today? 943 00:52:07,066 --> 00:52:08,166 Mr. Gibbs: And I would just say this, Sam. 944 00:52:08,166 --> 00:52:09,536 Let me just -- there's a reason why -- 945 00:52:09,533 --> 00:52:10,933 well, there's a lot of reasons why there's no "Mission 946 00:52:10,934 --> 00:52:15,434 Accomplished" banner -- because there's a lot of work to do. 947 00:52:15,433 --> 00:52:18,403 And I think it's important -- and I would go back, 948 00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:21,900 direct you not to what I said but direct you to what Thad just 949 00:52:21,900 --> 00:52:23,900 said and more importantly what the President said. 950 00:52:23,900 --> 00:52:30,070 The reason why we are moving to focusing on a different phase is 951 00:52:30,066 --> 00:52:35,236 because we have -- we are nearing the completion of the 952 00:52:35,233 --> 00:52:40,003 killing of this well, which was our foremost priority since the 953 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:41,470 leak began. 954 00:52:41,467 --> 00:52:45,067 But we're not leaving the area. 955 00:52:45,066 --> 00:52:49,266 And more importantly, we're not leaving behind any commitment to 956 00:52:49,266 --> 00:52:53,066 clean up what's been -- the damage that's been done and 957 00:52:53,066 --> 00:53:01,936 repair and restore the Gulf as an ecosystem of great importance 958 00:53:01,934 --> 00:53:04,534 to, obviously, that region of the country, 959 00:53:04,533 --> 00:53:07,463 but to the country as a whole. 960 00:53:07,467 --> 00:53:13,037 The Press: Robert, most of you have repeatedly said that the 26% is 961 00:53:13,033 --> 00:53:16,063 unknowable, it's immeasurable at this moment, 962 00:53:16,066 --> 00:53:19,496 and the estimate of the 4.9 million barrels of what emanated 963 00:53:19,500 --> 00:53:21,870 from this well is also an estimate. 964 00:53:21,867 --> 00:53:24,297 So couldn't the actual amount of oil out there that has leached 965 00:53:24,300 --> 00:53:30,670 through the coast or is still somewhere under the surface, 966 00:53:30,667 --> 00:53:33,137 couldn't it be considerably more than the 26%? 967 00:53:33,133 --> 00:53:35,933 And isn't that number -- you've been accused before of initially 968 00:53:35,934 --> 00:53:39,334 rosy estimates -- isn't the 26%, which seems particularly reassuring -- 969 00:53:39,333 --> 00:53:42,603 Mr. Gibbs: I want to refer you to the fairly lengthy answer I gave on 970 00:53:42,600 --> 00:53:45,300 this about 30 minutes ago. 971 00:53:45,300 --> 00:53:47,330 The Press: No, no, but the number -- the 26% number is a reassuring 972 00:53:47,333 --> 00:53:48,633 number, it's meant to reassure folks. 973 00:53:48,633 --> 00:53:52,433 Mr. Gibbs: No, it's an actual number about where the oil is. 974 00:53:52,433 --> 00:53:54,833 It's not -- this isn't a reassurance document. 975 00:53:54,834 --> 00:53:55,804 This is a compendium -- 976 00:53:55,800 --> 00:53:57,600 The Press: This is a statistically significant -- 977 00:53:57,600 --> 00:54:00,130 Mr. Gibbs: It's a compendium of where the oil is. 978 00:54:00,133 --> 00:54:05,133 And, again, I want to be clear, the flow rate -- 979 00:54:05,133 --> 00:54:08,563 we have a greater understanding and greater access to 980 00:54:08,567 --> 00:54:12,867 information based on directives that we have issued, 981 00:54:12,867 --> 00:54:17,267 based on instrumentation that is 5,000 feet below the ocean that 982 00:54:17,266 --> 00:54:21,036 allow us to measure the flow rate now far better than we did 983 00:54:21,033 --> 00:54:25,333 on day one with photographs of overflights. 984 00:54:25,333 --> 00:54:27,263 Admiral Allen: Look, maybe I can summarize here. 985 00:54:27,266 --> 00:54:29,996 Sorry. 986 00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:33,230 As this incident has evolved, we have come up with great clarify 987 00:54:33,233 --> 00:54:35,833 and organizational structure on how we want to measure flow rate. 988 00:54:35,834 --> 00:54:37,834 Let me just tell you some of the major component parts because 989 00:54:37,834 --> 00:54:40,964 this is not arbitrary and capricious and Marcia McNutt has 990 00:54:40,967 --> 00:54:43,267 done a great job leading her group. 991 00:54:43,266 --> 00:54:46,496 There are about three or four pieces to determining the flow rate. 992 00:54:46,500 --> 00:54:50,330 The first one is created by what we call the mass balance team. 993 00:54:50,333 --> 00:54:52,733 That's trying to understand exactly how much oil is out 994 00:54:52,734 --> 00:54:54,764 there that we can see and measure on the water. 995 00:54:54,767 --> 00:54:57,767 This is everything from satellite imagery to some very 996 00:54:57,767 --> 00:55:00,297 sophisticated NASA aircraft that actually look at the 997 00:55:00,300 --> 00:55:02,470 reflectivity of the surface of the ocean. 998 00:55:02,467 --> 00:55:04,797 And it varies whether or not you have oil or water and actually 999 00:55:04,800 --> 00:55:07,400 give you a thickness estimate related to that. 1000 00:55:07,400 --> 00:55:08,730 The second one is the plume analysis. 1001 00:55:08,734 --> 00:55:10,504 And there are two different ways to look at that. 1002 00:55:10,500 --> 00:55:13,470 As Robert said, it's moving from two-dimensional to 1003 00:55:13,467 --> 00:55:15,197 three-dimensional. 1004 00:55:15,200 --> 00:55:17,300 We also had acoustic testing done on that stream by the Woods 1005 00:55:17,300 --> 00:55:21,370 Hole Oceanographic Institute. 1006 00:55:21,367 --> 00:55:23,597 We have a reservoir modeling team. 1007 00:55:23,600 --> 00:55:25,070 As the reservoir has been depleted, 1008 00:55:25,066 --> 00:55:27,436 that changes the pressure coming up and we know now that there 1009 00:55:27,433 --> 00:55:30,933 wasn't a linear -- there wasn't the same amount of flow every day. 1010 00:55:30,934 --> 00:55:33,634 It changed based on the pressure that was coming up from the reservoir. 1011 00:55:33,633 --> 00:55:35,503 And finally, we had a nodal analysis team that looked at 1012 00:55:35,500 --> 00:55:37,700 where the oil was at at different particular stages as 1013 00:55:37,700 --> 00:55:39,000 it came forward. 1014 00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:42,130 And so we had different ways to look at this and bring it together. 1015 00:55:42,133 --> 00:55:46,463 We started out -- I think it was 12 to 25 and 19 to 25; 1016 00:55:46,467 --> 00:55:50,637 based on better information, we went from 35 to 60. 1017 00:55:50,633 --> 00:55:51,163 We bracketed it. 1018 00:55:51,166 --> 00:55:53,966 And then lately we've been able to get the better pressure 1019 00:55:53,967 --> 00:55:56,097 measurements as the capping stack went on. 1020 00:55:56,100 --> 00:55:57,470 And we continue to refine this. 1021 00:55:57,467 --> 00:55:58,267 It doesn't mean we're going to stop. 1022 00:55:58,266 --> 00:56:00,196 It just means we're getting better and better at getting the 1023 00:56:00,200 --> 00:56:03,400 information and putting that together and creating a picture. 1024 00:56:03,400 --> 00:56:04,000 Mr. Gibbs: April. 1025 00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:06,770 You want to add something to that? 1026 00:56:06,767 --> 00:56:10,867 Dr. Lubchenco: The flow rate of 4.9, which is what Admiral Allen has been 1027 00:56:10,867 --> 00:56:13,897 talking about, has the plus or minus 10%, 1028 00:56:13,900 --> 00:56:18,300 so that would be between 4.4 and 5.4. 1029 00:56:18,300 --> 00:56:27,930 And the -- if we focus on the residual part of the pie chart, 1030 00:56:27,934 --> 00:56:34,134 the 26% is at the intermediate number. 1031 00:56:34,133 --> 00:56:42,563 So that's at the 4.9 million barrel number. 1032 00:56:42,567 --> 00:56:44,197 If you want to know what the percent of the residual is for 1033 00:56:44,200 --> 00:56:53,800 the full plus or minus 10%, it ranges from 24% to 28%. 1034 00:56:53,800 --> 00:56:58,770 And the reason for that is that some of the numbers are direct 1035 00:56:58,767 --> 00:57:04,137 -- in the pie chart -- are direct measurements such as the 1036 00:57:04,133 --> 00:57:08,163 oil that was recovered from the wellhead. 1037 00:57:08,166 --> 00:57:10,796 So that number is an absolute number. 1038 00:57:10,800 --> 00:57:13,070 It doesn't change. 1039 00:57:13,066 --> 00:57:15,636 And so when you do the calculations to come up with the 1040 00:57:15,633 --> 00:57:20,563 percentage, the amount that is residual, we feel quite 1041 00:57:20,567 --> 00:57:25,997 comfortable saying that it is most likely around 26%. 1042 00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:29,470 It might be as low as 24%; it might be as high as 28%. 1043 00:57:29,467 --> 00:57:33,197 But it's not going to be significantly different from that. 1044 00:57:33,200 --> 00:57:34,100 Mr. Gibbs: April. 1045 00:57:34,100 --> 00:57:37,400 The Press: What's the certainty there's not an oil coating on the ocean 1046 00:57:37,400 --> 00:57:42,700 floor, with all your charts and information? 1047 00:57:42,700 --> 00:57:45,500 Dr. Lubchenco: We've had a lot of research vessels that are out on the 1048 00:57:45,500 --> 00:57:51,270 water, imaging or using remotely operated vehicles or gliders to 1049 00:57:51,266 --> 00:57:58,496 determine exactly where the oil is subsurface and what it's 1050 00:57:58,500 --> 00:57:59,600 doing where it is. 1051 00:57:59,600 --> 00:58:05,400 To the best of our knowledge, there is no oil that is 1052 00:58:05,400 --> 00:58:07,270 accumulating on the seafloor. 1053 00:58:07,266 --> 00:58:10,466 We have no evidence that there is any oil that is sitting on 1054 00:58:10,467 --> 00:58:13,497 the bottom or sinking down to the bottom. 1055 00:58:13,500 --> 00:58:16,000 The oil that did not rise to the surface, 1056 00:58:16,000 --> 00:58:18,400 that was not light enough to make it to the surface, 1057 00:58:18,400 --> 00:58:21,670 is the oil that has been dispersed, 1058 00:58:21,667 --> 00:58:23,467 either naturally or chemically. 1059 00:58:23,467 --> 00:58:27,267 And that is in very small, microscopic droplets. 1060 00:58:27,266 --> 00:58:33,866 And it's primarily between 3,300 and 4,300 feet as a very diffuse 1061 00:58:33,867 --> 00:58:41,137 cloud that is in concentrations that diminish as you go away 1062 00:58:41,133 --> 00:58:42,763 from the wellhead. 1063 00:58:42,767 --> 00:58:47,467 And that is the oil that is in the process of being naturally degraded. 1064 00:58:47,467 --> 00:58:51,467 So that's the oil that is beneath the surface. 1065 00:58:51,467 --> 00:58:53,297 It's microscopic. 1066 00:58:53,300 --> 00:58:54,800 It's dilute. 1067 00:58:54,800 --> 00:58:58,130 The Press: Now, in your talking, you gave an example earlier about blue 1068 00:58:58,133 --> 00:59:00,863 tuna, the larvae of this blue tuna. 1069 00:59:00,867 --> 00:59:02,997 Does that mean, with that example and others, 1070 00:59:03,000 --> 00:59:04,600 does that mean that you will be testing -- 1071 00:59:04,600 --> 00:59:07,900 the federal government will be testing for decades the seafood 1072 00:59:07,900 --> 00:59:11,030 out of the Gulf? 1073 00:59:11,033 --> 00:59:14,833 Dr. Lubchenco: Thank you for giving me an opportunity to clarify that. 1074 00:59:14,834 --> 00:59:21,804 Fish metabolize hydrocarbons relatively rapidly. 1075 00:59:21,800 --> 00:59:27,170 And so if an adult fish or a fish that would be the size that 1076 00:59:27,166 --> 00:59:29,436 fishermen would catch and bring to market, 1077 00:59:29,433 --> 00:59:34,163 if that fish is exposed to oil, it might be contaminated 1078 00:59:34,166 --> 00:59:37,336 initially, but it metabolizes. 1079 00:59:37,333 --> 00:59:40,203 It naturally breaks down the oil. 1080 00:59:40,200 --> 00:59:44,670 And so after a period of time on the order of weeks, 1081 00:59:44,667 --> 00:59:49,737 that fish is no longer unfit for human consumption. 1082 00:59:49,734 --> 00:59:52,364 It has broken down the hydrocarbons, 1083 00:59:52,367 --> 00:59:54,067 and it is safe to eat. 1084 00:59:54,066 --> 00:59:56,996 That's what we are testing to make sure that that process -- 1085 00:59:57,000 --> 01:00:01,300 that natural process has happened, 1086 01:00:01,300 --> 01:00:04,100 and that the seafood is safe. 1087 01:00:04,100 --> 01:00:08,570 The example that I gave you for bluefin tuna was to illustrate 1088 01:00:08,567 --> 01:00:15,797 that our interest is not only in the fish that are recognizable 1089 01:00:15,800 --> 01:00:19,830 as fish that are out there now, but that there are very small 1090 01:00:19,834 --> 01:00:24,564 microscopic juvenile stages that will -- 1091 01:00:24,567 --> 01:00:29,967 would have grown up to be a fish many, many years from now. 1092 01:00:29,967 --> 01:00:33,497 Those are the ones that are of potential concern. 1093 01:00:33,500 --> 01:00:39,300 Those are more vulnerable than are most of the fish that are 1094 01:00:39,300 --> 01:00:41,200 live and out swimming around in the Gulf. 1095 01:00:41,200 --> 01:00:43,230 The Press: How long are you expecting to test? 1096 01:00:43,233 --> 01:00:49,433 Dr. Lubchenco: We will continue to test as long as is needed and we will be 1097 01:00:49,433 --> 01:00:54,033 following this -- we will be following the impacts of the oil 1098 01:00:54,033 --> 01:00:57,633 in the Gulf for years, if not decades. 1099 01:00:57,633 --> 01:01:05,033 The seafood testing that we have already done is telling us that 1100 01:01:05,033 --> 01:01:07,663 it is being degraded naturally and that areas that we are 1101 01:01:07,667 --> 01:01:12,997 opening have seafood that is safe to eat. 1102 01:01:13,000 --> 01:01:13,970 Mr. Gibbs: Margaret. 1103 01:01:13,967 --> 01:01:14,497 The Press: Thanks. 1104 01:01:14,500 --> 01:01:15,670 I have two questions. 1105 01:01:15,667 --> 01:01:17,437 The first one follows all of this, 1106 01:01:17,433 --> 01:01:20,103 both in terms of food safety and also in terms of what's going on 1107 01:01:20,100 --> 01:01:21,700 with subsurface plumes. 1108 01:01:21,700 --> 01:01:23,630 You mentioned that the testing will continue. 1109 01:01:23,633 --> 01:01:29,703 Can you tell us precisely and explicitly how often you will 1110 01:01:29,700 --> 01:01:37,830 continue to monitor it, whether the monitoring mechanisms will 1111 01:01:37,834 --> 01:01:39,664 change, whether the pace or the duration of the monitoring will change? 1112 01:01:39,667 --> 01:01:40,967 I know you're continuing to do it, but will you do it 1113 01:01:40,967 --> 01:01:42,067 slightly less frequently? 1114 01:01:42,066 --> 01:01:43,566 Or are you putting a mandate on it now? 1115 01:01:43,567 --> 01:01:48,537 Or will things continue exactly as they have been pro forma 1116 01:01:48,533 --> 01:01:50,203 until some other pronouncement is made? 1117 01:01:50,200 --> 01:01:52,770 Dr. Lubchenco: So are you asking specifically about the monitoring for 1118 01:01:52,767 --> 01:01:54,367 seafood safety? 1119 01:01:54,367 --> 01:01:57,967 The Press: I'm asking about both the monitoring of seafood safety and 1120 01:01:57,967 --> 01:02:02,137 the monitoring of the environmental effects in the 1121 01:02:02,133 --> 01:02:03,033 subsurface plumes. 1122 01:02:03,033 --> 01:02:05,703 Dr. Lubchenco: Okay, so let's keep those in separate categories because the 1123 01:02:05,700 --> 01:02:07,230 answer is different. 1124 01:02:07,233 --> 01:02:10,733 For monitoring for seafood safety, 1125 01:02:10,734 --> 01:02:13,804 we have a very extensive protocol. 1126 01:02:13,800 --> 01:02:17,700 First of all, when the oil spill first happened, 1127 01:02:17,700 --> 01:02:20,870 we went out and got a lot of samples of fish and shellfish 1128 01:02:20,867 --> 01:02:24,537 from around the Gulf to have baseline samples against which 1129 01:02:24,533 --> 01:02:28,963 we could compare any changes, should they happen. 1130 01:02:28,967 --> 01:02:30,197 So we have those. 1131 01:02:30,200 --> 01:02:34,100 They've been processed. 1132 01:02:34,100 --> 01:02:39,030 We have a very specific protocol for monitoring and testing areas 1133 01:02:39,033 --> 01:02:44,333 that we think are the next logical places to be opening -- 1134 01:02:44,333 --> 01:02:46,703 or to be considered for opening. 1135 01:02:46,700 --> 01:02:52,070 If an area was only lightly oiled once, 1136 01:02:52,066 --> 01:02:57,036 then we would consider that a more likely candidate for 1137 01:02:57,033 --> 01:03:01,063 targeting our testing effort than an area that was repeatedly oiled. 1138 01:03:01,066 --> 01:03:08,396 So we are going to be monitoring areas where we think it's 1139 01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:12,170 logical that there would be a possibility of reopening. 1140 01:03:12,166 --> 01:03:15,336 When the testing shows it is safe, 1141 01:03:15,333 --> 01:03:16,733 we will open those areas according to those protocols. 1142 01:03:16,734 --> 01:03:20,364 The Press: These findings in and of themselves don't change the 1143 01:03:20,367 --> 01:03:23,497 schedule or the form or the pace of testing in any way? 1144 01:03:23,500 --> 01:03:24,600 Dr. Lubchenco: That's exactly right. 1145 01:03:24,600 --> 01:03:27,630 Today's findings just help us understand what has happened in 1146 01:03:27,633 --> 01:03:29,463 the big picture. 1147 01:03:29,467 --> 01:03:35,397 It does not modify our efforts to monitor and test for seafood 1148 01:03:35,400 --> 01:03:40,470 safety, or to monitor and do research on the impacts of the 1149 01:03:40,467 --> 01:03:42,297 spill on the Gulf at large. 1150 01:03:42,300 --> 01:03:45,030 The Press: So that continues at exactly the same pace until something else 1151 01:03:45,033 --> 01:03:45,963 says that that should change? 1152 01:03:45,967 --> 01:03:47,797 Dr. Lubchenco: That's correct. 1153 01:03:47,800 --> 01:03:49,170 The Press: My second question is, you talked a little bit about the 1154 01:03:49,166 --> 01:03:49,736 bluefin tuna. 1155 01:03:49,734 --> 01:03:51,264 Is there any evidence that the dispersed oil has -- 1156 01:03:51,266 --> 01:03:53,666 as this point, is there any evidence that it has damaged the 1157 01:03:53,667 --> 01:03:55,867 food chain in any ways that could ripple up or affect 1158 01:03:55,867 --> 01:03:58,897 endangered creatures? 1159 01:03:58,900 --> 01:04:02,200 I understand why you would sort of -- 1160 01:04:02,200 --> 01:04:06,400 expect sort of to get bad news to some degree on those fronts, 1161 01:04:06,400 --> 01:04:10,600 but is there yet any evidence that you can talk about? 1162 01:04:10,600 --> 01:04:19,000 Dr. Lubchenco: The impact on the Gulf will take time to understand and to 1163 01:04:19,000 --> 01:04:21,630 evaluate with confidence. 1164 01:04:21,633 --> 01:04:26,633 We are actively doing research and monitoring the impact, 1165 01:04:26,633 --> 01:04:30,033 but it's premature to talk about any systemic, 1166 01:04:30,033 --> 01:04:33,403 overall impacts at this point because there hasn't been enough 1167 01:04:33,400 --> 01:04:36,930 time to do justice to that very important topic. 1168 01:04:36,934 --> 01:04:38,004 Mr. Gibbs: Sam. 1169 01:04:38,000 --> 01:04:40,700 The Press: Admiral Allen, you said today is a consequential day, 1170 01:04:40,700 --> 01:04:42,770 but I think we're wondering when is the end date? 1171 01:04:42,767 --> 01:04:45,537 When is the -- what's the timeframe for today for the 1172 01:04:45,533 --> 01:04:48,863 bottom kill, for finishing the relief well? 1173 01:04:48,867 --> 01:04:51,497 Admiral Allen: I'll give you two answers based on when we make the decision on 1174 01:04:51,500 --> 01:04:53,500 the cementing. 1175 01:04:53,500 --> 01:04:55,530 The Press: So right now -- I guess that answers my question. 1176 01:04:55,533 --> 01:04:56,463 You don't know when -- 1177 01:04:56,467 --> 01:04:58,937 Admiral Allen: No, it depends on the status of the well. 1178 01:04:58,934 --> 01:05:02,004 What we're going to do is we're going to drill into the annulus, 1179 01:05:02,000 --> 01:05:04,670 and we're prepared to put mud and cement in and basically 1180 01:05:04,667 --> 01:05:06,967 kill the annulus. 1181 01:05:06,967 --> 01:05:09,167 After that cement dries, then we have the option to drill back in 1182 01:05:09,166 --> 01:05:12,266 and go into the pipe and do the same thing there. 1183 01:05:12,266 --> 01:05:16,166 It depends on the results of the static kill and the cementing 1184 01:05:16,166 --> 01:05:17,896 decision for the static kill. 1185 01:05:17,900 --> 01:05:22,170 If you have to do everything, the analogy I've used is taking 1186 01:05:22,166 --> 01:05:25,596 tree rings, hollow tree rings, and filling one up and making a 1187 01:05:25,600 --> 01:05:27,800 smaller tree and then going into the next tree. 1188 01:05:27,800 --> 01:05:29,030 And we're going to do that twice -- 1189 01:05:29,033 --> 01:05:31,703 once is the annulus, the other one is the pipe itself. 1190 01:05:31,700 --> 01:05:33,470 And how much we have to do at the bottom depends on the 1191 01:05:33,467 --> 01:05:37,837 effectiveness of the static kill and the decision on the cementing. 1192 01:05:37,834 --> 01:05:40,834 If we have to do it twice, it will be about probably anywhere 1193 01:05:40,834 --> 01:05:42,764 from five to seven days for the first one, 1194 01:05:42,767 --> 01:05:44,967 and maybe five to seven days after that for the second one. 1195 01:05:44,967 --> 01:05:47,497 The Press: So you're looking at, worst-case scenario, two weeks from today? 1196 01:05:47,500 --> 01:05:48,870 Admiral Allen: Towards the end of August, yes. 1197 01:05:48,867 --> 01:05:50,997 If we have to do both, yes. 1198 01:05:51,000 --> 01:05:52,770 Mr. Gibbs: Bill. 1199 01:05:52,767 --> 01:05:54,067 The Press: To anyone there, I guess. 1200 01:05:54,066 --> 01:05:57,396 We heard so much of the doomsday scenario in the beginning of 1201 01:05:57,400 --> 01:06:00,670 this, the blackened beaches and oil coming up the East Coast, 1202 01:06:00,667 --> 01:06:05,267 as Chip indicated, and fishermen and shrimpers being out of 1203 01:06:05,266 --> 01:06:06,266 business forever, having to leave the area. 1204 01:06:06,266 --> 01:06:08,266 Is part of the message today that the long-term impact of the 1205 01:06:08,266 --> 01:06:12,596 spill is really not as bad as we had anticipated? 1206 01:06:12,600 --> 01:06:16,170 Mr. Gibbs: I think as Dr. Lubchenco said, we're going to -- 1207 01:06:16,166 --> 01:06:18,096 we have to evaluate what all of this means. 1208 01:06:18,100 --> 01:06:27,600 I think it is fairly safe to say that because of the 1209 01:06:27,600 --> 01:06:30,400 environmental effects of Mother Nature, 1210 01:06:30,400 --> 01:06:35,270 the warm waters of the Gulf and the federal response, 1211 01:06:35,266 --> 01:06:39,536 that many of the doomsday scenarios that were talked about 1212 01:06:39,533 --> 01:06:42,963 and repeated a lot have not and will not come to fruition 1213 01:06:42,967 --> 01:06:44,697 because of that. 1214 01:06:44,700 --> 01:06:46,230 I think that is -- 1215 01:06:46,233 --> 01:06:46,733 The Press: It's good news. 1216 01:06:46,734 --> 01:06:47,834 Mr. Gibbs: It is very good news. 1217 01:06:47,834 --> 01:06:51,204 And I think as Admiral Allen said, there were -- 1218 01:06:51,200 --> 01:06:53,830 there have been many points along this that are important. 1219 01:06:53,834 --> 01:06:59,734 I mean, again, as he said, we have not had an active amount of 1220 01:06:59,734 --> 01:07:04,834 hydrocarbon being emitted into the Gulf since the sealing cap 1221 01:07:04,834 --> 01:07:06,734 went on the 15th of July. 1222 01:07:06,734 --> 01:07:12,164 So there are many points along this that I think we can point 1223 01:07:12,166 --> 01:07:16,836 to as being important days. 1224 01:07:16,834 --> 01:07:24,864 Obviously, the static kill is a step in the ultimate killing of the well. 1225 01:07:24,867 --> 01:07:30,597 But, again, then we'll focus -- our focus will be off of 1226 01:07:30,600 --> 01:07:35,500 containment and capture and more directly on damage and restoration. 1227 01:07:35,500 --> 01:07:37,330 Ken. 1228 01:07:37,333 --> 01:07:40,203 The Press: Since we appear to have moved into a new phase here, 1229 01:07:40,200 --> 01:07:42,970 I was wondering if I can maybe ask a question moving forward 1230 01:07:42,967 --> 01:07:45,137 about an assessment of the equipment that the Coast Guard 1231 01:07:45,133 --> 01:07:47,133 and NOAA has at this point. 1232 01:07:47,133 --> 01:07:52,863 Have you folks found any evidence or need to perhaps go 1233 01:07:52,867 --> 01:07:57,197 back and review whether you have the proper equipment to assist 1234 01:07:57,200 --> 01:07:59,300 in these kind of operations? 1235 01:07:59,300 --> 01:08:01,070 And to give it a little context, the reason I ask the question 1236 01:08:01,066 --> 01:08:04,136 is, we've depended on BP for the visuals, 1237 01:08:04,133 --> 01:08:06,633 also the robotics beneath the surface, 1238 01:08:06,633 --> 01:08:10,033 and I was wondering if you find that system to have -- 1239 01:08:10,033 --> 01:08:11,603 if that is the proper way to go? 1240 01:08:11,600 --> 01:08:14,300 Or if the United States is to reconsider whether or not we're 1241 01:08:14,300 --> 01:08:18,570 properly armed to deal with these sort of emergencies? 1242 01:08:18,567 --> 01:08:20,637 Admiral Allen: I think you're asking a really good question. 1243 01:08:20,633 --> 01:08:22,303 I think we're going to have to do a couple of things. 1244 01:08:22,300 --> 01:08:25,600 First of all, I would say in the five years following the Exxon 1245 01:08:25,600 --> 01:08:29,370 Valdez to about the mid-1990s, we had a pretty robust R&D 1246 01:08:29,367 --> 01:08:34,267 program, looking at oil spill response technologies. 1247 01:08:34,266 --> 01:08:35,696 That's when we actually developed the protocols for 1248 01:08:35,700 --> 01:08:37,570 in-situ burning and use of dispersants. 1249 01:08:37,567 --> 01:08:40,367 I was a field commander at the time that had to negotiate those 1250 01:08:40,367 --> 01:08:43,567 protocols with the local stakeholders. 1251 01:08:43,567 --> 01:08:45,767 The further we got away from that event, 1252 01:08:45,767 --> 01:08:50,167 the investment in R&D kind of tapered off. 1253 01:08:50,166 --> 01:08:52,136 We had technology move into deepwater drilling. 1254 01:08:52,133 --> 01:08:57,363 The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was directed at tanker-based oil traffic. 1255 01:08:57,367 --> 01:08:58,837 I think it's time for an assessment. 1256 01:08:58,834 --> 01:09:01,404 I think there are a lot of technologies that were proposed 1257 01:09:01,400 --> 01:09:04,430 that because of the capping we didn't get to test. 1258 01:09:04,433 --> 01:09:07,603 I think there needs to be a very vigorous interagency process 1259 01:09:07,600 --> 01:09:09,830 looking at R&D issues and at the effectiveness of these 1260 01:09:09,834 --> 01:09:11,334 tools moving forward. 1261 01:09:11,333 --> 01:09:13,433 I think some of this may come out of the commission. 1262 01:09:13,433 --> 01:09:16,763 But I think everything indicates a re-baselining of our tools, 1263 01:09:16,767 --> 01:09:19,137 what should be in the government inventory, what shouldn't be. 1264 01:09:19,133 --> 01:09:21,003 This is the time to do that. 1265 01:09:21,000 --> 01:09:22,070 The Press: If I could follow -- 1266 01:09:22,066 --> 01:09:26,066 Mr. Gibbs: And, Ken, I would just say that that is precisely why the 1267 01:09:26,066 --> 01:09:28,466 President stood up the commission. 1268 01:09:28,467 --> 01:09:32,467 In the very beginning of this, I got asked I don't know how many 1269 01:09:32,467 --> 01:09:37,197 times, doesn't the military just have something? 1270 01:09:37,200 --> 01:09:40,770 Don't you have some submarine with giant mechanical arms that 1271 01:09:40,767 --> 01:09:44,337 can sustain pressure at 5,000 feet and somehow screw the 1272 01:09:44,333 --> 01:09:47,933 bottle cap on top of the blowout preventer? 1273 01:09:47,934 --> 01:09:49,204 The Press: It's with the secret rocket, right? 1274 01:09:49,200 --> 01:09:53,870 Mr. Gibbs: Yes, well, Captain Nemo was unavoidably detained. 1275 01:09:53,867 --> 01:09:56,367 Look, I think that is what we have to evaluate. 1276 01:09:56,367 --> 01:10:02,037 And I think the question also -- when you get a permit to drill, 1277 01:10:02,033 --> 01:10:04,663 and this is what I talked about in terms of the deepwater 1278 01:10:04,667 --> 01:10:07,437 drilling, the President wants to be assured that there is a 1279 01:10:07,433 --> 01:10:16,233 containment structure and a plan in place that matches directly 1280 01:10:16,233 --> 01:10:20,733 what is being undertaken -- the size, the scope of the well, 1281 01:10:20,734 --> 01:10:25,104 the depth at which it's being done at and what equipment needs 1282 01:10:25,100 --> 01:10:32,230 to be on hand either from our perspective or from the 1283 01:10:32,233 --> 01:10:34,103 perspective of a company that's making those. 1284 01:10:34,100 --> 01:10:34,800 Did you have another one? 1285 01:10:34,800 --> 01:10:36,600 The Press: You covered it actually in that. 1286 01:10:36,600 --> 01:10:37,430 Mr. Gibbs: Okay, go ahead. 1287 01:10:37,433 --> 01:10:39,863 The Press: What's the status of the berm project that Governor 1288 01:10:39,867 --> 01:10:40,897 Jindal advocated? 1289 01:10:40,900 --> 01:10:42,930 And is there any need for that now? 1290 01:10:42,934 --> 01:10:45,904 Admiral Allen: I'd refer that question to Governor Jindal. 1291 01:10:45,900 --> 01:10:51,870 (laughter) 1292 01:10:51,867 --> 01:10:54,237 The Press: Can you discuss just a little bit the emotional response to 1293 01:10:54,233 --> 01:10:56,063 this news within the administration? 1294 01:10:56,066 --> 01:10:58,866 You mentioned that the President -- 1295 01:10:58,867 --> 01:10:59,967 that was the first time that he was delighted to hear from 1296 01:10:59,967 --> 01:11:00,937 Ms. Browner. 1297 01:11:00,934 --> 01:11:02,234 Mr. Gibbs: I was somewhat joking. 1298 01:11:02,233 --> 01:11:02,833 The Press: I assume. 1299 01:11:02,834 --> 01:11:05,334 But this has cast a pall over the administration for weeks. 1300 01:11:05,333 --> 01:11:08,533 It's dominated the news cycles at times I'm sure you would have 1301 01:11:08,533 --> 01:11:10,703 rather talked about other things like the economy. 1302 01:11:10,700 --> 01:11:13,030 Was there a collective sigh of relief? 1303 01:11:13,033 --> 01:11:14,263 How was this -- 1304 01:11:14,266 --> 01:11:21,366 Mr. Gibbs: Again, I think we have -- many of us up here have been working 1305 01:11:21,367 --> 01:11:25,467 on this for now a hundred and some-odd days. 1306 01:11:25,467 --> 01:11:31,197 I don't think anybody gets real high or real low because we have 1307 01:11:31,200 --> 01:11:35,630 on any number of occasions met timelines that weren't going to 1308 01:11:35,633 --> 01:11:38,703 get met as they originally were. 1309 01:11:38,700 --> 01:11:44,370 And I would reiterate that I don't -- today is not an end. 1310 01:11:44,367 --> 01:11:51,367 Today is not -- today does not mark somehow the dissolution of 1311 01:11:51,367 --> 01:11:55,167 the energy and the effort in the Gulf. 1312 01:11:55,166 --> 01:11:59,966 It is a point along a journey toward -- 1313 01:11:59,967 --> 01:12:02,837 that will ultimately end in restoring the Gulf to a place 1314 01:12:02,834 --> 01:12:09,564 that, as the President said, isn't the way the Gulf was the 1315 01:12:09,567 --> 01:12:13,267 day before this happened. 1316 01:12:13,266 --> 01:12:17,096 But we have all talked about what happened to the Gulf and to 1317 01:12:17,100 --> 01:12:20,870 the natural barrier islands as a result of hurricanes that have 1318 01:12:20,867 --> 01:12:24,867 happened over the years and getting the Gulf back to -- 1319 01:12:24,867 --> 01:12:29,837 and restore the Gulf back to the health that it was before that. 1320 01:12:29,834 --> 01:12:35,604 The Press: So is there at least a feeling that the oil clouds are parting? 1321 01:12:35,600 --> 01:12:39,300 Mr. Gibbs: Again, I don't think there's any doubt that the static kill 1322 01:12:39,300 --> 01:12:41,400 having worked is good news. 1323 01:12:41,400 --> 01:12:44,700 The evaluation that will now happen about the bottom kill, 1324 01:12:44,700 --> 01:12:47,170 the progress that we've made on the relief well, 1325 01:12:47,166 --> 01:12:52,266 the sealing cap that's been in place since the 15th of July and 1326 01:12:52,266 --> 01:12:56,996 the notion that we have a fairly accurate and scientific 1327 01:12:57,000 --> 01:13:02,430 accounting of where the oil is represents a good day among 1328 01:13:02,433 --> 01:13:05,503 those hundred or so that we've been dealing with this. 1329 01:13:05,500 --> 01:13:06,730 Yes, ma'am. 1330 01:13:06,734 --> 01:13:10,164 The Press: Is there a White House strategy going forward on natural 1331 01:13:10,166 --> 01:13:13,236 resource damage assessments? 1332 01:13:13,233 --> 01:13:14,463 Will those be done yearly? 1333 01:13:14,467 --> 01:13:17,967 And will BP be billed for those? 1334 01:13:17,967 --> 01:13:19,867 Admiral Allen: I'll make the first comment and maybe Carol would 1335 01:13:19,867 --> 01:13:20,467 like to comment. 1336 01:13:20,467 --> 01:13:22,397 The natural resource damage assessment is required by the 1337 01:13:22,400 --> 01:13:24,200 Oil Pollution Act of 1990. 1338 01:13:24,200 --> 01:13:25,900 It involves the federal trustees -- 1339 01:13:25,900 --> 01:13:28,570 and that would be the Department of Commerce and NOAA, 1340 01:13:28,567 --> 01:13:32,367 Fish and Wildlife, Interior, Tribal Resources and so forth. 1341 01:13:32,367 --> 01:13:33,767 And there's -- 1342 01:13:33,767 --> 01:13:35,437 Ms. Browner: And states. 1343 01:13:35,433 --> 01:13:36,563 Admiral Allen: And states. 1344 01:13:36,567 --> 01:13:37,797 There's actually a government structure that's associated with 1345 01:13:37,800 --> 01:13:41,530 that with a lead federal trustee kind of a coordinator that kind 1346 01:13:41,533 --> 01:13:46,333 of replaces the federal on-scene coordinator for the response 1347 01:13:46,333 --> 01:13:47,903 model, if you will, to take a look at how they're going to do 1348 01:13:47,900 --> 01:13:51,130 the assessment and move forward. 1349 01:13:51,133 --> 01:13:52,433 And the steering committee for that group has already met a 1350 01:13:52,433 --> 01:13:54,433 couple of times in the process of being stood up. 1351 01:13:54,433 --> 01:13:55,763 Mr. Gibbs: Mike. 1352 01:13:55,767 --> 01:13:59,797 The Press: The President and the First Family are due to vacation down 1353 01:13:58,500 --> 01:14:00,900 Has anything that's happened in the past 24 hours changed their plans? 1354 01:13:59,800 --> 01:14:02,770 in the Gulf next weekend. 1355 01:14:00,900 --> 01:14:03,030 Is he going to have any sort of public event or opportunity to 1356 01:14:03,033 --> 01:14:05,233 get a firsthand assessment? 1357 01:14:05,233 --> 01:14:07,803 Mr. Gibbs: I don't have the schedule in front of me. 1358 01:14:07,800 --> 01:14:10,600 There will be a public component to that. 1359 01:14:10,600 --> 01:14:14,100 We discussed -- we've discussed that over the past several days. 1360 01:14:14,100 --> 01:14:16,570 We'll get more information to you as we get closer to that. 1361 01:14:16,567 --> 01:14:18,237 The Press: There wouldn't be any chance of him going sooner? 1362 01:14:18,233 --> 01:14:19,103 Mr. Gibbs: No, no. 1363 01:14:19,100 --> 01:14:20,300 Yes, sir. 1364 01:14:20,300 --> 01:14:22,470 The Press: Overall, what has the administration learned from this 1365 01:14:22,467 --> 01:14:25,997 whole incident? 1366 01:14:26,000 --> 01:14:27,070 Mr. Gibbs: How much time do you have? 1367 01:14:27,066 --> 01:14:29,536 (laughter) 1368 01:14:29,533 --> 01:14:31,533 Want to take a crack? 1369 01:14:31,533 --> 01:14:33,403 Admiral Allen: Actually, it relates to the earlier question. 1370 01:14:33,400 --> 01:14:38,530 I'll just give you one facet of it. 1371 01:14:38,533 --> 01:14:39,133 As I've looked at the oil production infrastructure in the 1372 01:14:39,133 --> 01:14:44,503 Gulf of Mexico as it relates to response, 1373 01:14:44,500 --> 01:14:45,530 back when the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was passed, 1374 01:14:45,533 --> 01:14:47,263 it was basically tanker-focused. 1375 01:14:47,266 --> 01:14:53,136 Somewhere between 1984 and 1985, the drilling began to move offshore. 1376 01:14:53,133 --> 01:14:55,603 There were a couple of significant breakthroughs that 1377 01:14:55,600 --> 01:14:58,600 were happening at the time we were focused on tankers. 1378 01:14:58,600 --> 01:15:01,330 One of them was we weren't restricted to fixed rigs any 1379 01:15:01,333 --> 01:15:03,903 more; we had floating rigs. 1380 01:15:03,900 --> 01:15:06,270 And the production machinery and a lot of the stuff associated 1381 01:15:06,266 --> 01:15:07,296 with the drilling systems went to the bottom, 1382 01:15:07,300 --> 01:15:11,070 including blowout preventers. 1383 01:15:11,066 --> 01:15:13,196 At the same time, the controls that control everything down 1384 01:15:13,200 --> 01:15:16,470 there and the hydraulics benefitted from multiplexing and 1385 01:15:16,467 --> 01:15:18,997 being able to send electronic signals down the hydraulics 1386 01:15:19,000 --> 01:15:21,600 rather than trying to press that stuff down a mile. 1387 01:15:21,600 --> 01:15:24,670 That allowed them to move further offshore, 1388 01:15:24,667 --> 01:15:25,897 where our regulatory environment for response planning was 1389 01:15:25,900 --> 01:15:28,300 focused on tanker-driven incidents, 1390 01:15:28,300 --> 01:15:30,100 although we knew it was going on. 1391 01:15:30,100 --> 01:15:33,070 What we've had to bring into the Gulf to effectuate the control 1392 01:15:33,066 --> 01:15:35,666 of this well is a combination of technologies that are used in 1393 01:15:35,667 --> 01:15:39,167 the Northern Sea and off of Angola, 1394 01:15:39,166 --> 01:15:41,066 where they used vertically riser -- 1395 01:15:41,066 --> 01:15:42,766 that are suspended under the water. 1396 01:15:42,767 --> 01:15:44,797 None of that preexisted in the Gulf of Mexico because all the 1397 01:15:44,800 --> 01:15:48,700 oil is transported by pipelines back to where it is embarked, 1398 01:15:48,700 --> 01:15:51,330 so we actually had to put together -- 1399 01:15:51,333 --> 01:15:54,333 I say we collectively, led mostly by the private sector -- 1400 01:15:54,333 --> 01:16:00,633 pieces of oil containment and production structures that are 1401 01:16:00,633 --> 01:16:03,533 used in different parts of the world and bring them for the 1402 01:16:03,533 --> 01:16:05,963 first time ever into the Gulf of Mexico. 1403 01:16:05,967 --> 01:16:06,897 When the Helix Producer started producing, 1404 01:16:06,900 --> 01:16:08,230 that was the first time a floating production platform had 1405 01:16:08,233 --> 01:16:10,333 ever operated in the Gulf of Mexico. 1406 01:16:10,333 --> 01:16:12,433 I think we've learned a lot. 1407 01:16:12,433 --> 01:16:14,833 Ms. Browner: I just want to add one thing -- I mean, as Robert said, 1408 01:16:14,834 --> 01:16:18,804 how much time do you have? 1409 01:16:18,800 --> 01:16:21,100 But one of the things that I have found very interesting in 1410 01:16:21,100 --> 01:16:22,370 this process is our ability to reach out and really engage the 1411 01:16:22,367 --> 01:16:23,567 entire federal government. 1412 01:16:23,567 --> 01:16:25,667 This has been a very, very large undertaking. 1413 01:16:25,667 --> 01:16:27,867 And so there's the obvious parties that participate -- 1414 01:16:27,867 --> 01:16:31,637 the Coast Guard who has the expertise in terms of oil spill; 1415 01:16:31,633 --> 01:16:33,033 NOAA, obviously; EPA. 1416 01:16:33,033 --> 01:16:34,663 But also we brought in Dr. Chu. 1417 01:16:34,667 --> 01:16:37,097 We brought in the National Science Labs. 1418 01:16:37,100 --> 01:16:40,470 And this really became a government-wide effort at every 1419 01:16:40,467 --> 01:16:42,037 turn to sort through what was the best way to take the next 1420 01:16:42,033 --> 01:16:45,063 step, to get this contained, to get it closed. 1421 01:16:45,066 --> 01:16:47,596 And now we'll be engaging even more agencies as we move into 1422 01:16:47,600 --> 01:16:53,230 the next phase, which is the cleanup and then the restoration. 1423 01:16:53,233 --> 01:16:54,703 Mr. Gibbs: Yes, sir. 1424 01:16:54,700 --> 01:17:00,430 The Press: Do you -- at this point, you say that the 8% represents the 1425 01:17:00,433 --> 01:17:04,863 chemically dispersed aspect of the oil. 1426 01:17:04,867 --> 01:17:09,167 Then how important was this decision on May 15th to do this 1427 01:17:09,166 --> 01:17:12,636 unprecedented move where you actually took the oil from the 1428 01:17:12,633 --> 01:17:15,563 surface and decided that you would disperse it on the floor 1429 01:17:15,567 --> 01:17:18,397 of the ocean, first time ever that's been done? 1430 01:17:18,400 --> 01:17:19,500 Admiral Allen: Correct. 1431 01:17:19,500 --> 01:17:22,400 Actually, that was done after there was consultation with industry. 1432 01:17:22,400 --> 01:17:24,900 And I think ExxonMobil might have been the ones that actually 1433 01:17:24,900 --> 01:17:26,770 recommended it to BP. 1434 01:17:26,767 --> 01:17:28,667 It had been tried someplace else in the world, 1435 01:17:28,667 --> 01:17:30,667 and forgive me if I don't know the exact location. 1436 01:17:30,667 --> 01:17:31,967 They said this is something that may be applicable, 1437 01:17:31,967 --> 01:17:33,837 but it had never been done at this depth. 1438 01:17:33,834 --> 01:17:37,404 The reason that was important to the overall dispersant strategy 1439 01:17:37,400 --> 01:17:41,530 is that for dispersants to work, you have to have some agitation 1440 01:17:41,533 --> 01:17:45,363 to be able to make it actually interact with the oil and disperse. 1441 01:17:45,367 --> 01:17:49,897 If you just deliver it through an aerial platform to oil that's 1442 01:17:49,900 --> 01:17:51,870 sitting on the surface, it has an effect, 1443 01:17:51,867 --> 01:17:54,737 but it's not as effective unless you can get it agitated. 1444 01:17:54,734 --> 01:17:58,304 Applying a very small amount of dispersant into the column as it 1445 01:17:58,300 --> 01:18:02,070 rises up that 5,000 feet and the energy and the agitation that 1446 01:18:02,066 --> 01:18:06,336 takes place greatly facilitates the dispersion, 1447 01:18:06,333 --> 01:18:10,233 and then greatly facilitates the biodegradation that happens to the oil. 1448 01:18:10,233 --> 01:18:13,463 So the decision to do that was one of the steps that allowed us 1449 01:18:13,467 --> 01:18:16,537 to say we can significantly reduce the amount of dispersants 1450 01:18:16,533 --> 01:18:18,833 -- right amount, right place, right time -- 1451 01:18:18,834 --> 01:18:21,134 using the energy generated by the oil itself rising. 1452 01:18:21,133 --> 01:18:24,063 The Press: It had never been tried before; it was a gutsy move to do. 1453 01:18:24,066 --> 01:18:29,366 Do you think it was the right decision? 1454 01:18:29,367 --> 01:18:34,867 Admiral Allen: Well, in retrospect, it is one of the conditions that allowed 1455 01:18:34,867 --> 01:18:36,637 us to sit down with Lisa Jackson, 1456 01:18:36,633 --> 01:18:37,963 I think around the 25th of May, and said, 1457 01:18:37,967 --> 01:18:40,497 we're going to reduce dispersants by 75%, 1458 01:18:40,500 --> 01:18:43,670 and we got to 72 before the capping stack went on. 1459 01:18:43,667 --> 01:18:47,267 But one of the reasons we were able to do that is we were more 1460 01:18:47,266 --> 01:18:49,766 able to effectively apply the dispersants we needed to apply 1461 01:18:49,767 --> 01:18:52,837 at the point where they'd have the most effect. 1462 01:18:52,834 --> 01:18:55,234 The Press: I wanted to follow up on the food chain question. 1463 01:18:55,233 --> 01:18:58,433 Some researchers at Tulane University have found an oil and 1464 01:18:58,433 --> 01:19:03,903 dispersant mix under the shells of blue crab larvae all over the 1465 01:19:03,900 --> 01:19:05,530 Gulf of Mexico. 1466 01:19:05,533 --> 01:19:09,763 Is there any concern that the dispersed oil is actually so 1467 01:19:09,767 --> 01:19:12,667 small that it has a greater chance of entering the food chain? 1468 01:19:12,667 --> 01:19:23,597 Dr. Lubchenco: Oil that is dispersed is in smaller droplets and it would be 1469 01:19:23,600 --> 01:19:27,930 -- smaller droplets affect smaller creatures; 1470 01:19:27,934 --> 01:19:30,904 bigger chunks affect bigger creatures. 1471 01:19:30,900 --> 01:19:41,700 So I think the dispersed oil -- I'm trying to figure out how to 1472 01:19:41,700 --> 01:19:54,070 answer this simply -- oil that is dispersed is more likely to 1473 01:19:54,066 --> 01:20:00,796 be encountered by and affect the smaller life in the oceans, 1474 01:20:00,800 --> 01:20:04,230 I think is the simplest way to put it. 1475 01:20:04,233 --> 01:20:09,333 And this is true -- 1476 01:20:09,333 --> 01:20:11,863 The Press: But bigger animals eat these crab larvae, though. 1477 01:20:11,867 --> 01:20:17,737 Dr. Lubchenco: So what I said was true whether the dispersed oil was dispersed 1478 01:20:17,734 --> 01:20:19,864 naturally or dispersed chemically. 1479 01:20:19,867 --> 01:20:24,797 It doesn't really matter how it got to be microscopic droplets. 1480 01:20:24,800 --> 01:20:34,870 And so there is likely to be some dispersed oil that affects 1481 01:20:34,867 --> 01:20:41,367 various creatures in the ocean, and that's part of the long-term 1482 01:20:41,367 --> 01:20:44,337 studies that we need to do to see what impact that's going to 1483 01:20:44,333 --> 01:20:47,133 have on those food webs. 1484 01:20:47,133 --> 01:20:53,903 Now, let's say, for example, that a fish is eating some of 1485 01:20:53,900 --> 01:20:58,730 those smaller creatures that had oil in them. 1486 01:20:58,734 --> 01:21:04,464 That fish will degrade that oil and process it naturally. 1487 01:21:04,467 --> 01:21:09,597 And so it doesn't bio-accumulate, 1488 01:21:09,600 --> 01:21:11,130 so it's not a situation where we need to be concerned about that. 1489 01:21:11,133 --> 01:21:14,463 Over time, it will be broken down. 1490 01:21:14,467 --> 01:21:18,137 The question is, what is the impact in the meantime. 1491 01:21:18,133 --> 01:21:21,103 The Press: Probably for the Admiral. 1492 01:21:21,100 --> 01:21:24,670 Of the 27,000 rigs that are now in the Gulf, 1493 01:21:24,667 --> 01:21:28,267 how many are active and how many do you feel secure about in 1494 01:21:28,266 --> 01:21:30,736 terms of their integrity, sir? 1495 01:21:30,734 --> 01:21:32,904 Admiral Allen: Actually I'm going to probably throw that to Carol. 1496 01:21:32,900 --> 01:21:34,670 Ms. Browner: I think -- it changes. 1497 01:21:34,667 --> 01:21:36,737 It changes as things move around. 1498 01:21:36,734 --> 01:21:37,604 So we can get you -- 1499 01:21:37,600 --> 01:21:39,630 Admiral Allen: I know there's been an effort by the Department of Interior to 1500 01:21:39,633 --> 01:21:41,263 get a really good handle on those -- 1501 01:21:41,266 --> 01:21:43,096 the unintended ones, potentially abandoned. 1502 01:21:43,100 --> 01:21:45,400 It's not something I'm doing as part of the response. 1503 01:21:45,400 --> 01:21:47,470 The Press: Can we get that information from you at some point? 1504 01:21:47,467 --> 01:21:48,237 Mr. Gibbs: We'll try to get it to you. 1505 01:21:48,233 --> 01:21:48,903 Yes, sir. 1506 01:21:48,900 --> 01:21:50,630 The Press: Robert, you mentioned several bills were going to be 1507 01:21:50,633 --> 01:21:51,333 sent to BP. 1508 01:21:51,333 --> 01:21:53,733 Do you know the timeline for each of those bills? 1509 01:21:53,734 --> 01:21:57,434 Mr. Gibbs: Well, many -- I think we put on the top of yesterday's 1510 01:21:57,433 --> 01:22:01,133 transcript, I think more than $200 million -- 1511 01:22:01,133 --> 01:22:03,663 Mr. Shapiro: Four bills. 1512 01:22:03,667 --> 01:22:05,437 Mr. Gibbs: -- and four bills have gone already. 1513 01:22:05,433 --> 01:22:08,903 Again, the penalty phase for oil emission is -- 1514 01:22:08,900 --> 01:22:14,370 will come, as will the damage assessments that we talked about 1515 01:22:14,367 --> 01:22:15,397 the other day. 1516 01:22:15,400 --> 01:22:16,930 The Press: You mentioned one of them was going to be on 1517 01:22:16,934 --> 01:22:18,404 environmental degradation. 1518 01:22:18,400 --> 01:22:20,630 With the uncertainty of knowing either a year from now or 10 1519 01:22:20,633 --> 01:22:22,063 years from now, 20 years from now, 1520 01:22:22,066 --> 01:22:23,496 what that degradation is going to be, 1521 01:22:23,500 --> 01:22:25,530 how is that amount going to be calculated? 1522 01:22:25,533 --> 01:22:29,633 Ms. Browner: So there will be under -- as the Admiral pointed out, 1523 01:22:29,633 --> 01:22:33,433 under the Oil Pollution Act, there's a whole process for 1524 01:22:33,433 --> 01:22:35,103 working through natural resource damage assessment. 1525 01:22:35,100 --> 01:22:38,530 Then there's an agreement that is reached and the money is paid 1526 01:22:38,533 --> 01:22:41,133 by BP to the trustees, which include the states, 1527 01:22:41,133 --> 01:22:43,803 the federal agencies and any tribes. 1528 01:22:43,800 --> 01:22:46,230 The Press: Thanks, Robert. 1529 01:22:46,233 --> 01:22:50,963 Mr. Gibbs: You had another one? 1530 01:22:50,967 --> 01:22:52,397 The Press: Can you just comment on -- is there any concern about the 1531 01:22:52,400 --> 01:22:55,670 appearances of -- is there any concern inside the White House 1532 01:22:55,667 --> 01:22:58,497 about the appearances of the First Lady's trip overseas and 1533 01:22:58,500 --> 01:23:00,870 any thought of having her vacation here in the United States? 1534 01:23:00,867 --> 01:23:02,367 Mr. Gibbs: Again, the First Lady is on a private trip. 1535 01:23:02,367 --> 01:23:08,267 She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a 1536 01:23:08,266 --> 01:23:11,136 private trip. 1537 01:23:11,133 --> 01:23:14,633 And I think I'd leave it at that. 1538 01:23:14,633 --> 01:23:15,503 Sam. 1539 01:23:15,500 --> 01:23:18,230 The Press: Can you talk about -- a little bit about the White House 1540 01:23:18,233 --> 01:23:21,063 reaction to the vote in Missouri last night against a federal 1541 01:23:21,066 --> 01:23:23,036 mandate for insurance? 1542 01:23:23,033 --> 01:23:26,903 Mr. Gibbs: A vote of no legal significance in the midst of heavy 1543 01:23:26,900 --> 01:23:28,670 Republican primaries. 1544 01:23:28,667 --> 01:23:30,537 The Press: I mean, what does it tell you, though, in terms of what -- 1545 01:23:30,533 --> 01:23:31,203 Mr. Gibbs: Nothing. 1546 01:23:31,200 --> 01:23:34,230 (laughter) 1547 01:23:34,233 --> 01:23:36,303 The Press: The President of Mexico has -- oh, sorry. 1548 01:23:36,300 --> 01:23:38,630 Mr. Gibbs: No, no, go ahead -- I'll come back. 1549 01:23:38,633 --> 01:23:42,733 The Press: The President of Mexico has just said that he is going to be open 1550 01:23:42,734 --> 01:23:47,904 to hear proposals to legalize drug consumption in Mexico. 1551 01:23:47,900 --> 01:23:50,770 And some people in the federal government are saying because 1552 01:23:50,767 --> 01:23:52,897 the Merida Initiative is not working, 1553 01:23:52,900 --> 01:23:54,630 he is looking for other option. 1554 01:23:54,633 --> 01:23:55,963 What is the White House reaction to that? 1555 01:23:55,967 --> 01:23:57,437 Mr. Gibbs: I have not seen those statements. 1556 01:23:57,433 --> 01:23:59,433 Let me get some guidance from NSC and we'll -- 1557 01:23:59,433 --> 01:24:02,903 The Press: But what is the position of the President in terms of legalize 1558 01:24:02,900 --> 01:24:03,970 the use of drugs? 1559 01:24:03,967 --> 01:24:06,037 Mr. Gibbs: Not been for drug legalization. 1560 01:24:06,033 --> 01:24:07,203 Goyal. 1561 01:24:07,200 --> 01:24:10,430 The Press: As far as this BP accident is concerned, 1562 01:24:10,433 --> 01:24:14,863 what message do you have for America as far as any impact on 1563 01:24:14,867 --> 01:24:18,337 the gas stations' prices are concerned -- 1564 01:24:18,333 --> 01:24:21,203 short term, long term, or international market? 1565 01:24:21,200 --> 01:24:27,130 Mr. Gibbs: This was an exploratory well and not a production well. 1566 01:24:27,133 --> 01:24:31,733 In other words, this was not -- what happens is these wells are 1567 01:24:31,734 --> 01:24:35,534 drilled and cemented and then they come back at some point for production. 1568 01:24:35,533 --> 01:24:41,763 So this is not oil that is taken out of the larger scheme of the 1569 01:24:41,767 --> 01:24:47,037 oil economy, as it was an exploratory well. 1570 01:24:47,033 --> 01:24:48,303 The Press: What about Bradley Manning? 1571 01:24:48,300 --> 01:24:50,100 Could you tell us about Bradley Manning -- 1572 01:24:50,100 --> 01:24:50,930 The Press: On the state aid bill -- 1573 01:24:50,934 --> 01:24:52,964 Mr. Gibbs: No. 1574 01:24:52,967 --> 01:24:54,397 The Press: You won't? 1575 01:24:54,400 --> 01:24:56,130 The Press: On the state aid bill that the -- 1576 01:24:56,133 --> 01:24:58,333 Mr. Gibbs: I don't discuss active investigations. 1577 01:24:58,333 --> 01:25:01,533 The Press: Collins and Snowe of Maine voted for the state aid bill today and 1578 01:25:01,533 --> 01:25:04,603 overcame the filibuster because they said it was an emergency, 1579 01:25:04,600 --> 01:25:06,730 and they're now saying since it's an emergency the House 1580 01:25:06,734 --> 01:25:08,564 needs to come back and pass this thing. 1581 01:25:08,567 --> 01:25:11,537 Is the White House trying to get the House to come back to pass this? 1582 01:25:11,533 --> 01:25:13,133 Do you consider it an emergency that needs to be -- 1583 01:25:13,133 --> 01:25:14,833 Mr. Gibbs: Well, I will say this. 1584 01:25:14,834 --> 01:25:20,164 I think today's vote represents -- 1585 01:25:20,166 --> 01:25:24,036 well, today's vote is an important development as we head 1586 01:25:24,033 --> 01:25:27,063 back into the school year and tens of thousands, 1587 01:25:27,066 --> 01:25:29,236 probably more than 160,000 teachers, 1588 01:25:29,233 --> 01:25:35,803 as a result of this economy, were likely facing pink slips. 1589 01:25:35,800 --> 01:25:39,600 And we know what that means for -- 1590 01:25:39,600 --> 01:25:41,000 any of us who have children in school, 1591 01:25:41,000 --> 01:25:42,430 we understand what that means. 1592 01:25:42,433 --> 01:25:45,563 When you take that number of teachers out of the classroom, 1593 01:25:45,567 --> 01:25:47,567 you increase the teacher-to-student ratios; 1594 01:25:47,567 --> 01:25:53,337 it affects our long-term ability to educate our children and to 1595 01:25:53,333 --> 01:25:55,033 compete in this economy. 1596 01:25:55,033 --> 01:25:58,363 Senator Collins and Senator Snowe stood up and bravely 1597 01:25:58,367 --> 01:26:04,137 joined 59 others in ensuring that we would take some of those 1598 01:26:04,133 --> 01:26:05,103 important steps. 1599 01:26:05,100 --> 01:26:06,670 Let me check on the House. 1600 01:26:06,667 --> 01:26:09,737 I know that this is something that -- 1601 01:26:09,734 --> 01:26:14,564 this was of great importance to the House and it is our hope 1602 01:26:14,567 --> 01:26:19,537 that we can get something, having moved beyond this 1603 01:26:19,533 --> 01:26:23,363 filibuster, to the President's desk that can prevent those tens 1604 01:26:23,367 --> 01:26:25,397 of thousands of teachers from being laid off. 1605 01:26:25,400 --> 01:26:27,500 The Press: And you think the President would like to see it this week, 1606 01:26:27,500 --> 01:26:29,900 which would require the House -- 1607 01:26:29,900 --> 01:26:30,770 Mr. Gibbs: I think the President would like to see it as quickly as he can. 1608 01:26:30,767 --> 01:26:34,597 The Press: If I could on Iran, which said it's gotten 300 antiaircraft 1609 01:26:34,600 --> 01:26:38,730 missiles from Belarus after we convinced the Russians not to sell -- 1610 01:26:38,734 --> 01:26:40,904 Mr. Gibbs: Belarus, I believe, has denied that, 1611 01:26:40,900 --> 01:26:43,430 and I would point you to that report. 1612 01:26:43,433 --> 01:26:44,133 The Press: Thank you, Robert. 1613 01:26:44,133 --> 01:26:45,163 Mr. Gibbs: I'll do one more and then I'll go back to work. 1614 01:26:45,166 --> 01:26:47,096 The Press: Thank you, Robert. 1615 01:26:47,100 --> 01:26:48,770 Senator McConnell and the President are meeting this 1616 01:26:48,767 --> 01:26:51,237 afternoon, I guess on judicial nominations or nominations in general? 1617 01:26:51,233 --> 01:26:54,403 Mr. Gibbs: Well, I think the President and Senator McConnell are extending 1618 01:26:54,400 --> 01:26:58,470 their -- the bipartisan meeting that happened here a week or so 1619 01:26:58,467 --> 01:27:00,897 ago in which the President was and continues to be frustrated 1620 01:27:00,900 --> 01:27:06,830 by the pace at which the Senate deals with nominations for 1621 01:27:06,834 --> 01:27:12,534 judgeships and nominations for service in this government. 1622 01:27:12,533 --> 01:27:17,233 Right now there are 12 federal judicial nominees that have 1623 01:27:17,233 --> 01:27:22,863 passed the Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote. 1624 01:27:22,867 --> 01:27:25,067 There are other judges that have been through the process and 1625 01:27:25,066 --> 01:27:27,066 approved by the Judiciary Committee. 1626 01:27:27,066 --> 01:27:29,196 There will be a direct discussion about moving those 1627 01:27:29,200 --> 01:27:34,270 judges -- we heard a lot in the previous eight years about the 1628 01:27:34,266 --> 01:27:36,866 importance of federal judges. 1629 01:27:36,867 --> 01:27:40,797 I doubt they have gotten less important in the previous 18 months. 1630 01:27:40,800 --> 01:27:44,130 We have documented and talked about extensively in this room 1631 01:27:44,133 --> 01:27:51,333 the downright delay and utter obstruction in getting nominees 1632 01:27:51,333 --> 01:27:54,133 confirmed to important positions in this government. 1633 01:27:54,133 --> 01:27:57,803 And I think the President was rightly frustrated, 1634 01:27:57,800 --> 01:28:03,230 and has been, at a pace in the Senate that is unrivaled and 1635 01:28:03,233 --> 01:28:06,603 unmatched in its slowness. 1636 01:28:06,600 --> 01:28:08,470 That will be the topic of discussion, 1637 01:28:08,467 --> 01:28:12,767 and it is our hope that the Senate in the time remaining 1638 01:28:12,767 --> 01:28:19,437 before August will move quickly on many of those judgeships, 1639 01:28:19,433 --> 01:28:21,463 the ones that have passed unanimously and others, 1640 01:28:21,467 --> 01:28:24,367 as well as the appointees that have been waiting for months to 1641 01:28:24,367 --> 01:28:26,397 be approved. 1642 01:28:26,400 --> 01:28:29,030 The Press: And prospects for recess appointments this weekend? 1643 01:28:29,033 --> 01:28:31,203 Mr. Gibbs: Let me know how that meeting goes, and I'll tell you that. 1644 01:28:31,200 --> 01:28:31,700 Thanks, guys. 1645 01:28:31,700 --> 01:28:32,970 The Press: Is this their first one-on-one? 1646 01:28:32,967 --> 01:28:35,097 Mr. Gibbs: I think so, yes.