Matter of Trust is the organization that is orchestrating a mass movement of hair and fur to the gulf for the disastrous Oil Spill. The hair/fur is being stuffed into nylon stocking to make booms. Hair, as it turns out is one of the most effective ways to soak up oil. Explains why we have to shampoo our hair everyday;)  

We have 400,000 thousand pounds of hair heading to the gulf region and are organizing stocking stuffing parties to make these booms out of hair and nylons. Over 30 thousand salons and counting are participating! This really has become a national grass roots movement with a momentum that looks as if I can't fade. 

BP's Critical Resources Materials Management team contacted us on the 15th and by the 18th they wanted us to send them everything we had. They were excited to hear about our 19 warehouses full of hair, fur, and fleece stationed around the Gulf coast region. They said they were going to do a press release about using hair boom on Friday and to stand by with the press.  So we did.

Then BP's Public Affairs office - tired of being asked about the hair by all the reporters, since we posted they had contacted us, and not aware that the other department was working with us, they issued a press release saying BP would never use our donated hair booms. Stating that our booms are inferior and sink. Our booms are not for stand alone floatation so that's an easy claim.  They are not inferior when you consider that they are donated, renewable, natural, plentiful sorbent fiber.  I have tested them against oil based booms and they work about the same. Then when the Public Affairs office found out we really were talking to a BP department they called us back to apologize for the mix up , but basically said they still will not use the hair.  The damage in the press was done by their horrible press release and I think the people in the CRMM team may have been scolded because we haven't heard from them since and the PA guy made it seem not to ever expect to.

Since then all this oil has come in so heavily into LA and now we're getting calls from municipal emergency management teams, parishes and some local officials. We are still making boom, collecting pounds of hair, fur and fleece by the thousands, and refuse to desert the Gulf.   

These hair booms are using fibers that are being diverted from the waste stream. They are renewable, natural, effective, fast, hydrophobic (sheet off water), plentiful, free and come with good will! We are not offering this as a final and ultimate solution, but I feel strongly that these hair mats and booms might be able to help with some small contained areas. If we can help filter oil out, or keep it from getting into one marine estuary then our job is done. Currently we have thousands of feet of hair booms all along the gulf coast region waiting to be used. The Amercorps and some private engineers have been coming up with ways in which to make them float. And the National Guard in Louisiana wants to deploy them but just need the ok from BP, Hazmat, or the government.


We need to get these in the water! We are working on contacting the Vessels of Opportunity groups (fisherman and shrimpers) that are getting hired to help. As well as contacting Animal Rescue Shelters, local volunteer groups and non-profits. In no way are we encouraging citizens to go and deploy the booms themselves but the coastal communities are getting anxious and desperate in their need to sustain their habitats, livelihoods and health.

The Bigger Picture


Talk about green jobs; salons can never be out sourced! Plus with the right infrastructure we can set up an national hair and fur recycling program. Since the American textile industry has been moved to China and India this is another great opportunity to bring some of it back to make hair mats to prepare for future oil spills. I see a world where all the hair is made into these natural fiber mats. Some large ones for big oil spills that you can pull on the back of boats, and some small ones that can be put under every road drain run off grid to catch the oil leaking into our waterways before it pollutes our communities. We can put them all around hwy 89 to catch all the oil run off from polluting lake Tahoe and keep it Blue.


Everyone wants to be part the solution! And Now Everyone Can, Just By Getting a Haircut.


I appreciate you taking the time to read this letter.
Check out the website and the videos. Please feel free to contact me.


Thanks for the support.
Best,
Tyler Young
tyler@matteroftrust.org
matteroftrust.org
508-901-1074

YOUTUBES - by Matter of Trust
Hair soaks up oil - 3:38 music: "Via Con Me" by Paolo Conte

Loose hair & Loose fur OIL DEMO - 0:58 music: "My Other Love" by Pretty Lights

Hair boom with mesh OIL DEMO - 1:05 music: "Standing on the World" by Bender (Larry Laven Remix)

Hair boom in OIL DEMO - 4:13 music: "Arabika" by V. Didulya

How to make a hair boom DEMO- 3:25 music: "Slanty Boogie" by Morgan Hevrin

May 28, 2010

Dear Sam,

The Audubon Response and Recovery Team held its first webcast for volunteers this week, and nearly 200 of you were able to take a break from your Monday routine to join our discussion. Your questions formed the basis for a "Frequently Asked Questions" factsheet (PDF), which we hope will be valuable for all the members of our volunteer team, whether or not you were able to participate in our call. If you weren't able to join the webcast, you can see the archived version here — enter your email if you registered for it; otherwise, enter registration information to gain access to the archived webcast.

We learned a lot from your feedback on how to improve the next presentation and we really appreciated all the positive encouragement. We look forward to having folks join us in even larger numbers for the next webcast scheduled for June 23, 1:30PM EDT. It will feature updates, new reports from the field, and more information on how our volunteers are making a difference on the ground. Please mark your calendars!

It was a grim week for coastal Louisiana and Mississippi, as what has now been assessed as the largest oil spill in U.S. history washed up on beaches and filtered into sensitive wetlands, including seven of Audubon’s Important Bird Areas. The USFWS tally of oiled birds rose to 400, as Audubon volunteers continued to help shuttle victims to rehabilitation centers. Other Audubon volunteers throughout the gulf region provided the information that will be needed to assess the spill’s impacts and plan for the region’s recovery by observing birds in their backyards and communities and submitting their findings to eBird.org.

But Thursday morning dawned somewhat brighter. There was news that efforts to plug the 37-day leak were promising though the proof will be in the final cementing and sealing. And President Obama provided a critical reprieve for another sensitive area by suspending plans for exploratory drilling in the Arctic Ocean — a decision that thousands of Audubon Activists helped to spur on. Many thanks to all of you who were among them your voices helped make a difference!

Meanwhile, the devastating toll of the oil spill continues — and the challenges of recovery grow with every gallon. As we all fervently hope that the gusher has spewed its last toxic plume, we must not lose sight of the inevitable long-term impacts on birds, wildlife, sensitive habitat and Gulf communities.

That is why Audubon is so grateful for our volunteers, and for your commitment to both the speedy rescue of the birds already suffering from contact with the oil, and the protection and restoration of Gulf habitat for those who have so far been spared. As the recovery effort moves forward over the months ahead, so will your opportunity to put your passion for wildlife into action.

Audubon continues to deploy volunteers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, and efforts to ramp up volunteer monitoring and other activities are expanding throughout the region. These efforts include students who helped Audubon’s Pascagoula River Audubon Center staff assess water quality to provide a pre-oil baseline measure in anticipation of possible oil impact. Watch the video of their work.

Audubon magazine photographer Kim Hubbard joined Audubon Mississippi and Louisiana staff in Louisiana this week, and her photos, along with blog posts from the rest of the team, tell a compelling story.

Thank you for your continued support!

"A thick, 22-mile plume of oil discovered by researchers off the BP spill site was nearing an underwater canyon, where it could poison the foodchain for sealife in the waters off Florida.
The discovery by researchers on the University of South Florida College of Marine Science's Weatherbird II vessel is the second significant undersea plume reported since the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20. The plume is more than 6 miles wide and its presence was reported Thursday."

22-Mile Oil Plume Under Gulf Nears Rich Waters

abcnews.go.com

"McKinney said that in a best-case scenario, oil riding the current out of the canyon would rise close enough to the surface to be broken down by sunlight. But if the plume remains relatively intact, it could sweep down the west coast of Florida as a toxic soup as far as the Keys, through what he called some of the most productive parts of the Gulf...
...The discovery was important, he said, because it confirmed that the substance found in the water was not naturally occurring and that the plume was at its highest concentration in deeper waters. The researchers will use further testing to determine whether the hydrocarbons they found are the result of dispersants or the emulsification of oil as it traveled away from the well."

I posted this on my FB page and a friend who lives in the Gulf Coast area said that she had been looking for an up to date map, so i thought this info might help others. Yes, we will be dealing with this for years to come, but NOW is the CRUCIAL time:

Home | Emergency Response | Recent and Historical Incidents Deepwater Horizon Incident, Gulf of Mexico 24 Hour Trajectory Map: Jump down to Current Trajectory Mapson this page for full-sized versions. As the nation’s leading scientific resource for oil spills, NOAA has been on the scene of the BP oil spill from the start, providing coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state and local organizations. More Updated daily Situation: May 27, 2010 Response: NOAA continues to prepare daily trajectories of the floating oil.  Winds are forecast to have a light northerly component through Saturday morning. These offshore winds may eventually lead to a reprieve in new shoreline impacts, but the Mississippi Delta west to Timbalier Bay, Breton Sound and the Chandeleur Islands continue to be threatened by shoreline contacts during this forecast period.  NOAA continues to track the narrow band of oil to the SE of the main slick.  These scattered sheens will continue to be entrained in the counter-clockwise eddy, but it is possible that smaller portion of oil may move into the Loop Current and persist as very widely scattered tarballs not visible from imagery. The flow rate technical team has completed its initial analysis and has estimated the leak rate at 12,000 barrels to 19,000 barrels per day.  A Multi-agency and academic team reported out the results of two studies, one focusing on surface oiling and the other that analyzed the underwater plume.  More information on the calculations can be found at http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Flow-Rate-Group-Provides-Preliminary-Best-Estimate-Of-Oil-Flowing-from-BP-Oil-Well.cfm. Assessment: NOAA’s Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program is conducting aNatural Resource Damage Assessment. The focus currently is to assemble existing data on resources and their habitats and collect baseline (pre-spill impact) data.  Data on oiled resources and habitats are also being collected. Offshore Surface Oil Trajectory Map: Jump down to Current Trajectory Maps on this page for full-sized versions. NOAA by the Numbers in the Gulf Region May 27, 2010 NOAA aircraft deployed: N46RF Twin Otter (DHC-6), Current station: Mobile, Ala., Began flying marine mammal surveys as of 28 Apr.  Its mission changed on May 5 to multispectral scanning to study oil density and thickness. N56RF Twin Otter (DHC-6), Current Station: Mobile, Ala., Mission: Marine mammal surveys, First Flight: 5 May N68RF King Air (BE-350ER), Current Station: New Orleans, La., Mission: Coastal photography and mapping, First Flight: 5 May. N42RF Orion (WP-3D), Current Station: Tampa, Fla., Mission: Loop Current study; First Flight: 8 May, flew May 21. During its May 21 mission 62 vertical oceanographic profiles (AXBT, AXCP, and AXCTD) and eight atmospheric profiles (GPS dropwindsondes) were collected. The next flight is planned for Friday, May 28. NOAA and contract research vessels: Gordon Gunter A media briefing was held with the NOAA Ship GORDON GUNTER dockside at the Jackson County Port Authority facility in Pascagoula, Miss. CDR. Dave Score, CO of the GUNTER and Russell Brown, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and mission chief scientist provided an overview of the vessel and mission. Mississippi Press, WLOX (Biloxi, Miss. television affiliate) and Biloxi Sun-Herald attended. Estimated time of departure 1000 Today. Media availability is scheduled for Friday while the ship is underway. Thomas Jefferson Completed the deployment of 2 Seagliders, 5 profiling floats and 6 current drifters dispersed among 9 drop locations. Currently transiting to New Orleans avoiding areas of high surface oil concentrations. Testing and refining shipboard 4 different shipboard sonar systems (12, 38, 200, and 400 kHz) for the acoustic detection of submerged oil. Media availability is planned for Friday NOAA Ships Pisces and Oregon II are alongside in a repair status R/V Caretta, R/V Gandy and R/V HST are alongside F/V Beau Rivage Scheduled to depart Thursday, May 27th for a trawl cruise in western Louisiana waters to collect baseline samples. SCAT teams: Two aerial reconnaissance teams flew, all ground/boat teams had surveys canceled by severe weather on May 26. Fishery closure update: NOAA Fisheries Service revised the fishery closure effective 6:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 25. The closure now encompasses slightly more than 22 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone. No change was made on May 27. Marine mammals and turtles (effective May 26): Sea Turtles The total number of sea turtles verified from April 30 to May 26 within the designated spill area is 228. The 228 includes three entirely oiled sea turtles that were captured alive during dedicated on-water surveys last week: two small Kemp's Ridley and a larger sub-adult Loggerhead turtle. They were taken to the Audubon Aquarium where they are undergoing de-oiling and care and are doing well. In addition, 212 dead and 13 live stranded turtles (of which three subsequently died in rehab) have been verified. One of the turtles, a Kemp's ridley turtle, that stranded dead has had visible evidence of external oil. All others that stranded dead and alive have not had visible external oil. Dolphins From April 30 to May 26, there have been 24 dead dolphins verified within the designated spill area. So far, one of the 24 dolphins had evidence of external oil. It was found on an oiled beach. We are unable at this time to determine whether the animal was externally covered in oil after its death or prior to its death. The other 23 dolphins have had no visible evidence of external oil. NOAA Facilities in the Gulf: NOAA Fisheries Regional Office in St. Petersburg, F. National Marine Sanctuaries: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Galveston, TX; Florida Keys National Marine Sancturary, Key West, FL National Estuarine Research Reserves: Mission-Aransas Reserve, TX; Grand Bay, MS.; Weeks Bay, AL.; Rookery Bay, FL Field offices of the Science Center in Galveston, Texas and Pascagoula, MS Seafood Laboratory in Pascagoula Science Center in Panama City, FL Texas - 13 Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and the southern regional office in Fort Worth Louisiana - 4 WFOs Mississippi - 4 WFOs Alabama - 4 WFOs Florida (West Coast to Key West) - 4 WFOs (additional 3 WFOs in East coast FL and National Hurricane Center in Miami)  National Coastal Data Development Center, National Data Buoy Center - Stennis, MS Miscellaneous: Two NOAA communications personnel are detailed to the federal Joint Information Center in Robert, La., one communications staffer at the JIC in Mobile, Ala. NOAA and its interagency response partners are working with the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), a partnership between NOAA and the University of New Hampshire to bring leading scientists, practitioners, and representatives from federal and state governmental agencies, as well as NGOs, together to address key questions arising from the unprecedented use of chemical dispersants in response to the Deepwater Horizon spill. This interagency workshop will take place May 26-27 at Louisiana State University, and will be closed to the public. Important Contacts For NOAA media inquiries, please contact John Ewald or 301.713.3066. To offer suggestions to clean, contain, recover or stop the flow of oil visitDeepwater Horizon Response Suggestions. This website also provides procedures and forms for Alternative Response Tool Evaluation System (ARTES) proposals. For response-related inquiries, please phone the Joint Information Center (JIC) at 985.902.5231 or 985.902.5240. To report oil on land, or for general community information, please phone 866.448.5816. To report oiled or injured wildlife, please phone 866.557.1401. To learn about volunteer opportunities in all areas and what training is required, please phone  866.448.5816. To discuss spill related damage claims, please phone 800.440.0858. BP is asking fishermen for their assistance in cleaning up the oil spill. BP is calling this the Vessel of Opportunities Program and through it, BP is looking to contract shrimp boats, oyster boats and other vessels for hire to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico. To learn more about the Vessel of Opportunity Program,fishermen should phone 281.366.5511. More Information about this Incident • top  IncidentNews View the most up-to-date information on OR&R's IncidentNews site.[leaves OR&R site] EPA: Federal Response to BP Spill in the Gulf of Mexico This site tracks EPA's ongoing work in the area and help answer questions about the incident. [leaves OR&R site] Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center This site is providing information regarding the April 20 incident in the US Gulf of Mexico involving a Transocean drilling Rig Deep Water Horizon. The Horizon was engaged in drilling activity on behalf of BP at Mississippi Canyon Block 252, about 52 miles southeast of Venice, La. Leaves NOAA for a non-government site [leaves OR&R site] Deepwater Horizon Response on Facebook This site is providing information regarding the April 20 incident in the US Gulf of Mexico involving a Transocean drilling Rig Deepwater Horizon. Leaves NOAA for a non-government site [leaves OR&R site] Deepwater Horizon Response on Twitter This site is providing information regarding the April 20 incident in the US Gulf of Mexico involving a Transocean drilling Rig Deepwater Horizon. Leaves NOAA for a non-government site [leaves OR&R site] National Weather Service Deepwater Horizon Page NWS page for daily and hourly forecasts, winds and currents. [leaves OR&R site] Deepwater Horizon Trajectory Map Archive All the trajectory maps produced for the Deepwater Horizon incident response. Current Trajectory Maps • top 24, 48 and 72 hour trajectory forecast maps and offshore trajectory forecasts are produced once daily. Deepwater Horizon 24Hr Offshore Trajectory Map 2010-05-27-1800  (Document format: PDF, size: 4.2 M) Deepwater Horizon 24Hr Trajectory Map 2010-05-27-2100  (Document format: PDF, size: 2.3 M) Deepwater Horizon 48Hr Offshore Trajectory Map 2010-05-27-1800  (Document format: PDF, size: 4.1 M) Deepwater Horizon 48Hr Trajectory Map 2010-05-27-2100  (Document format: PDF, size: 2.3 M) Deepwater Horizon 72Hr Offshore Trajectory Map 2010-05-27-1800  (Document format: PDF, size: 4.0 M) Deepwater Horizon 72Hr Trajectory Map 2010-05-27-2100  (Document format: PDF, size: 2.3 M) Field Guide to NOAA’s Oil Trajectory Maps A guide to understanding the oil trajectory maps produced during an incident. (Document format: PDF, size: 218.5 K) NOAA Trajectory Maps Presentation A presentation about interpreting NOAA's trajectory maps. (Document format: PDF, size: 1.3 M)

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/topic_subtopic_entry.php?RECORD_KEY(entry_subtopic_topic)=entry_id,subtopic_id,topic_id&entry_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=809&subtopic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=2&topic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=1

Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it:

Ixtoc 1 Spill: 1979 Gulf of Mexico oil well blowout lasted 295 days in Bay of Campeche (via Cedre/France)

IXTOC 1 Oil Well Blowout, Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico, June 1979 to March 1980. Well head aerial view from NOAA.

http://www.cedre.fr/en/spill/ixtoc/ixtoc.php

NOAA Estimate: 140,000,000 gallons of oil spilled from Campeche eruption

Cedre: "On 3 June 1979, in the Gulf of Mexico (Bay of Campeche), some 80 km from Carmen town, Ixtoc 1's offshore drilling rig, set up by the Perforaciones Marinas del Golfo on behalf of the national company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), was destroyed by the blast of an oil eruption. A fire broke out. This type of accident is quite rare, although it is not one of a kind.

...This eruption lasted far longer. It was only stopped on 23 March 1980, after 295 days, during the which the oil spurt had been reduced first from 4,200 - 4,300 tonnes/day to 1,400 - 1,500 tonnes/day, thanks to the digging of freeing pipes which lowered pressure in the implicated well.

"The total quantity of oil spilled at sea will never be known exactly. The more cautious estimations suggest some 470,000 tonnes were spilled, while in the worst case scenario it could be as much as 1,500,000 tonnes. Between half and a third of this oil burned, causing a vast atmospheric pollution. The remaining part spread over the Gulf of Mexico in the form of drifting slicks. ..."

Cedre (France): Centre of Documentation, Research, and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution

http://www.cedre.fr/index-en.php

NOAA Major Oil Spills: Ixtoc 1

http://tinyurl.com/27l4t7q

"The Ixtoc I exploratory well blew out on June 3, 1979 in the Bay of Campeche off Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico. By the time the well was brought under control in 1980, an estimated 140 million gallons of oil had spilled into the bay. The Ixtoc I is currently #2 on the all-time list of largest oil spills of all-time, eclipsed only by the deliberate release of oil, from many different sources, during the 1991 Gulf War...."

NOAA: Oil Spill Case Histories: 1967-1991 (PDF)

 http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/26_spilldb.pdf

IXTOC Oil Spill Assessment: Final Report Executive Summary (PDF via Smithsonian)

Prepared for US Bureau of Land Management

 http://invertebrates.si.edu/mms/reports/IXTOC_exec.pdf

NOAA deepwater Horizon Incident Page

http://www.incidentnews.gov/incident/8220

NOAA Photos of OIl Spills

http://photos.orr.noaa.gov/gallery_4/incidents-27.htm

Wikipedia: Oil Spills

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_spill

Posted via email from Signs From Earth Notes

May 01, 2010

"Meanwhile, frustrated local and state officials were also waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers to issue permits so they can build sand berms in front of islands and wetlands to act as buffers between the advancing oil and the wetlands.

In a statement, corps spokesman Ken Holder said officials understand the urgency, but possible environmental effects must be evaluated before even an emergency permit can be issued."

Frustration mounts as oil seeps into Gulf wetlands

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Play VideoAP  – Anger mounts as oil seeps into Gulf wetlands

• Slideshow:Gulf Coast Oil Spill
• Play VideoVideo:Obama taps two to lead Gulf oil spill panel AP

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BP	43.86	-0.72
XOM	60.88	+0.55
^GSPC	1,087.69	+16.10

AP – Nesting pelicans are seen landing as oil washes ashore on an island that is home to hundreds of brown …

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer – 3 mins ago

ROBERT, La. – Anger grew along the Gulf Coast as an ooze of oil washed into delicate coastal wetlands in Louisiana, with many wondering how to clean up the monthlong mess — especially now that BP's latest try to plug the blown-out well won't happen until at least Tuesday.

"It's difficult to clean up when you haven't stopped the source," saidChris Roberts, a councilman for Jefferson Parish, which stretches from the New Orleans metropolitan area to the coast. "You can scrape it off the beach but it's coming right back."

Roberts surveyed the oil that forced officials to close a public beach onGrand Isle, south of New Orleans, as globs of crude that resembled melted chocolate washed up. Others questioned why BP PLC was still in charge of the response.

"The government should have stepped in and not just taken BP's word," declared Wayne Stone of Marathon, Fla., an avid diver who worries about the spill's effect on the ecosystem.

The government is overseeing the cleanup and response, but the official responsible for the oversight said he understands the discontent.

"If anybody is frustrated with this response, I would tell them their symptoms are normal, because I'm frustrated, too," said Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen. "Nobody likes to have a feeling that you can't do something about a very big problem."

As simple as it may seem, the law prevents the government from just taking over, Allen said. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, Congress dictated that oil companies be responsible for dealing with major accidents — including paying for all cleanup — with oversight by federal agencies.

BP, which is in charge of the cleanup, said it will be at least Tuesday before engineers can shoot mud into the blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf, yet another delay in the effort to stop the oil.

A so-called "top kill" has been tried on land but never 5,000 feet underwater, so scientists and engineers have spent the past week preparing and taking measurements to make sure it will stop the oil that has been spewing into the sea for a month. They originally hoped to try it as early as this weekend.

BP spokesman Tom Mueller said there was no snag in the preparations, but that the company must get equipment in place and finish tests before the procedure can begin.

"It's taking time to get everything set up," he said. "They're taking their time. It's never been done before. We've got to make sure everything is right."

Crews will shoot heavy mud into a crippled piece of equipment atop the well, which started spewing after thedrilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20 off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 workers. Then engineers will direct cement at the well to permanently stop the oil.

BP, which was leasing the rig and is responsible for the cleanup, has tried and failed several times to halt the oil.

Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said Friday that a mile-long tube inserted into the leaking pipe is sucking about 92,400 gallons of oil a day to the surface, a figure much lower than the 210,000 gallons a day the company said the tube was sucking up Thursday. Suttles said the higher number is the most the tube has been sucking up at any one time, while the lower number is the average.

Crews have been using oil-soaking booms to corral the spill, and BP said Saturday that booms made of hair would not be used because they don't absorb enough oil and sink too quickly.

The company has conceded that more oil is leaking than its initial estimate of 210,000 gallons a day total, and a government team is working to get a handle on exactly how much is flowing. Even under the most conservative estimate, about 6 million gallons have leaked so far, more than half the amount spilled by theExxon Valdez.

On Saturday, the blossoming investigation into the spill progressed when President Barack Obamaannounced that former Florida Sen. Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly will lead a presidential commission probing the spill.

Graham, a Democrat, is a former Florida governor and senator. Reilly ran the Environmental Protection Agency under Republican President George H.W. Bush. His tenure at the agency included the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Obama intends to name five others to the panel.

Meanwhile, frustrated local and state officials were also waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers to issue permits so they can build sand berms in front of islands and wetlands to act as buffers between the advancing oil and the wetlands.

In a statement, corps spokesman Ken Holder said officials understand the urgency, but possibleenvironmental effects must be evaluated before even an emergency permit can be issued.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry also took BP to task for not responding aggressively enough to oil coming ashore in Terrebonne Parish, La., to the west of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Public interest in the spill is high — after lawmakers pressed BP for a live video feed of the leak this week, so many people tried to view it that they crashed the government Web site where it was posted.

BP executives say the only guaranteed solution to stop the leak is a pair of relief wells crews have already started drilling, but the work will not be complete for at least two months.

That makes the stakes even higher for the top kill.

Scientists say there is a chance a misfire could lead to new problems. Ed Overton, a Louisiana State University professor of environmental studies, said the crippled piece of equipment called a blowout preventer could spring a new leak that could spew untold gallons of oil if there's a weak spot that is vulnerable to pressure from the heavy mud.

BP is also developing several other plans in case the top kill doesn't work, including an effort to shoot knotted rope, pieces of tire and other material — known as a junk shot — to plug the blowout preventer, which was meant to shut off the oil in case of an accident but did not work.

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Daly in Washington and Kevin McGill in New Orleans contributed to this report.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/22/frustration-mounts-as-oil_n_585913.html