By Cat Viglienzoni - June 30, 2010
Oil cleanup
efforts in the Gulf of Mexico were hampered by the winds of hurricane Alex as
it made its way through the Gulf toward
Representative
Edward Markey, a Democrat from
"The BP
plan had walruses in the gulf, but no hurricanes," said Markey. "Walruses
haven't been in the gulf in a few million years, while a hurricane is just a
few hundred miles from the spill site right now.''
Markey's
comments came during a congressional hearing on a law to improve technology
that could protect from disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Large waves
washed tar balls - some as large as apples - onto beaches already stained by
the oil spill. Waves caused by the hurricane's winds idled dozens of skimmers
and supply vessels, which were ordered to remain at their docks.
Despite
disruption to cleanup efforts, there is a silver lining. The storm is not
expected to hinder efforts to plug the leaking well, and it could even help
disperse some of the tens of millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into
the Gulf since the leak began in late April. High winds could help break apart
the oil and make it evaporate faster.
Alex's
onslaught of inclement weather is expected to last through Thursday, according
to the National Weather Service.
On Capitol
Hill, Kenneth Feinberg, administrator of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster
Victim Compensation Fund, testified at a House Small Business Committee
hearing. He expressed concern over possible fraudulent claims and said he has
asked the Justice Department and possibly a private vendor to assist in making
sure the claims are valid because false claims could undermine the program's
credibility. He also said he will have to make some tough calls over who is
compensated.
Meanwhile,
the Gulf expects a welcome visitor today. A Taiwanese-flagged tanker that is
the world's largest skimming vessel has made its way up the Gulf amid the
storm, and officials hope it will be able to take in up to 21 million gallons
of contaminated water a day. The tanker is 3 ½ football fields long and stands
10 stories high. It was retrofitted especially for the Gulf and has not yet
been tested, leaving many unanswered questions about how it will operate.
(Photo courtesy: AP Images)
