Louisiana Officials ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About BP Well Cap

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and U.S. Congressman Charlie Melancon, whose district has been severely affected by the BP oil well spill, are “cautiously optimistic” about reports from BP that it has stopped the oil that has been flowing into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20.

BP says it has capped the oil well and contained the flow for the first time since the leak began in April when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank.

But Gov. Jindal says it’s “too early to declare victory and there is still a lot more work that needs to be done.” BP is still testing the cap and acknowledges it’s not a permanent solution to the problem.

“We have been fighting a war against this oil for months now and we know our battles don’t end even when the well is capped,” Jindal said. “Millions of gallons of oil are still in the Gulf and some estimates show that oil will continue to hit our shores for many more months or maybe even longer. Work to revitalize our coast won’t be done until our water and our shores are completely clean and our wildlife, our communities, and our coastal industries are 100 percent restored.”

Congressman Melancon represents in Congress the areas of coastal Louisiana most directly affected by the oil leak, including Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary and southern Jefferson Parishes. The Deepwater Horizon platform was located 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana’s Third Congressional District.

Melancon said he is “cautiously hopeful that BP has finally stopped the oil from gushing into our Gulf. If the cap holds, this will be a turning point in our recovery from this disaster. After enduring 86 days of this catastrophe, we will finally be able to move forward with cleaning up the oil and repairing the damage.”

He says the recovery will take years and that he intends to “hold BP fully accountable and ensure they pay for every dollar of damage they’ve caused.”

Sen. Mary L. Landrieu noted that the “reports that BP’s new cap has stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf is the first piece of good news the Gulf Coast has received in three months. I am cautiously optimistic that this is the beginning of the end of this terrible nightmare.

“Secretary Salazar, Secretary Chu, Admiral Allen and the rest of the Administration deserve credit for working alongside BP in the operations center to get us to this point and never giving up on finding a solution to stop this uncontrolled oil flow.”

Landrieu added that she would “continue working with the Administration and my colleagues in the Senate to ensure the restoration of the Gulf Coast is a top priority of the federal government so that the recovery process can truly begin.”

Topics Louisiana Energy Oil Gas