Special By By Carol Forsloff May 8, 2010 in Environment Robert - What was thought as a promising strategy to stop oil from spilling into the Gulf of Mexico at an increasing rate has failed for the moment. BP isn't sure the containment dome will work and says it needs two days to figure out what to do next. Saturday afternoon U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry, BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles, MMS Regional Director of the Gulf of Mexico Region Lars Herbst met with press representatives to outline the progress in trying to stop the oil spill from an oil rig explosion on April 20 and mitigate any damage it may cause to the shoreline. Admiral Landry pointed out there continues to be good cooperation among volunteers and all those involved in the total response team addressing the oil spill potential disaster. Two oiled birds have been cleaned, two others found dead as well as a dead porpoise. Officials are working to find out whether these deaths were caused by oil contamination. Dr. Dennis Apeti, Mussel Watch scientist, brings up a trawl full of oysters for testing NOAA Herbst continues to assert Mineral Management's consultative capacity and its process in providing oversight. BP's representative, Doug Suttles, thanked the 8,500 people now involved in trying to control the oil spill, including 4,000 volunteers. He said officials had received 35,000 calls from people about the spill, with half of them offering to help. Suttles' key statements had to do with the containment dome that had been lowered to the sea floor to be used to catch the oil flow and maintained with the use of the Discovery Enterprise while an alternative well is completed. Hydrate formation occurred early on during the process yesterday of securing the apparatus properly from containing the oil. The hydrate formation caused pipes to plug up like a toilet, Suttles explained. He further went on to describe it as an ice-like substance that plugs the line and prevents oil from flowing. The company is looking at a variety of ways to address the problem that includes the application of heat or methanol. Presently the dome sits 200 meters away from the area of the oil leak in what is described as a safe location. Suttles said, in addressing the issues, "It is difficult whether we can find solutions. This has never been tried before." He went on to say, "We are looking at ways to overcome the problem. We will need two days to come up with solutions." When asked about the potential of a shortage of boom, Suttles said, "We are assembling a massive amount and have deployed all we can find. It's premature to say there won't be enough. We are ordering boom around the world, but we want to make sure there is enough for other problems." Landry was asked whether the impact of the oil spill would have an effect on legislation, specifically the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The Admiral deferred answering the question specifically, saying instead, "Right now we are focused on a large response from people (about the oil spill), which is a testament to the Act and the maritime community. But we have a long way to go." Admiral Landry "they don't know the impact on the environment" of chemical dispersants when asked about them on Saturday. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) on Friday announced the closure of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge to public entry. This closure covers all of Breton NWR, which includes the Chandeleur Islands chain (Chandeleur, Grand Gossier, Curlew, New Harbor Island, North Islands, Free Mason) stating "it is important to keep the public safe, to minimize disturbance to nesting colonial sea birds, and to allow personnel conducting cleanup operations and recovery efforts to work safely and efficiently. The first shoreline impact of oil from the spill was confirmed late Wednesday. Overflight information confirmed sheen and emulsified oil around the Chandeleur Islands. NOAA announced early yesterday that it had modified and expanded the boundaries of the closed fishing area to better reflect the current location of the BP oil spill. The restriction has been extended until May 17. The media has now been restricted by the Joint Command from low flights over the Chandeleur Islands because the flights and landings endanger the birds the media is covering. In the meantime BP has established an office in Foley, Alabama in anticipation of claims miles from the center where the oil leak continues to spill disastrous amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, with the figures changing daily and recording potentially millions of barrels into the waters daily. Placing a dome over an oil leak to stop oil from continuing to leak into the Gulf from an oil rig explosion hasn't worked out yet, and BP has said it is complicated by hydrate formation that has occurred earlier than anticipated - that prevents the oil from flowing.Saturday afternoon U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry, BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles, MMS Regional Director of the Gulf of Mexico Region Lars Herbst met with press representatives to outline the progress in trying to stop the oil spill from an oil rig explosion on April 20 and mitigate any damage it may cause to the shoreline.Admiral Landry pointed out there continues to be good cooperation among volunteers and all those involved in the total response team addressing the oil spill potential disaster.Two oiled birds have been cleaned, two others found dead as well as a dead porpoise. Officials are working to find out whether these deaths were caused by oil contamination.Herbst continues to assert Mineral Management's consultative capacity and its process in providing oversight.BP's representative, Doug Suttles, thanked the 8,500 people now involved in trying to control the oil spill, including 4,000 volunteers. He said officials had received 35,000 calls from people about the spill, with half of them offering to help.Suttles' key statements had to do with the containment dome that had been lowered to the sea floor to be used to catch the oil flow and maintained with the use of the Discovery Enterprise while an alternative well is completed.Hydrate formation occurred early on during the process yesterday of securing the apparatus properly from containing the oil. The hydrate formation caused pipes to plug up like a toilet, Suttles explained. He further went on to describe it as an ice-like substance that plugs the line and prevents oil from flowing.The company is looking at a variety of ways to address the problem that includes the application of heat or methanol. Presently the dome sits 200 meters away from the area of the oil leak in what is described as a safe location.Suttles said, in addressing the issues, "It is difficult whether we can find solutions. This has never been tried before." He went on to say, "We are looking at ways to overcome the problem. We will need two days to come up with solutions."When asked about the potential of a shortage of boom, Suttles said, "We are assembling a massive amount and have deployed all we can find. It's premature to say there won't be enough. We are ordering boom around the world, but we want to make sure there is enough for other problems."Landry was asked whether the impact of the oil spill would have an effect on legislation, specifically the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The Admiral deferred answering the question specifically, saying instead, "Right now we are focused on a large response from people (about the oil spill), which is a testament to the Act and the maritime community. But we have a long way to go."Admiral Landry "they don't know the impact on the environment" of chemical dispersants when asked about them on Saturday.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) on Friday announced the closure of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge to public entry. This closure covers all of Breton NWR, which includes the Chandeleur Islands chain (Chandeleur, Grand Gossier, Curlew, New Harbor Island, North Islands, Free Mason) stating "it is important to keep the public safe, to minimize disturbance to nesting colonial sea birds, and to allow personnel conducting cleanup operations and recovery efforts to work safely and efficiently.The first shoreline impact of oil from the spill was confirmed late Wednesday. Overflight information confirmed sheen and emulsified oil around the Chandeleur Islands.NOAA announced early yesterday that it had modified and expanded the boundaries of the closed fishing area to better reflect the current location of the BP oil spill. The restriction has been extended until May 17.The media has now been restricted by the Joint Command from low flights over the Chandeleur Islands because the flights and landings endanger the birds the media is covering.In the meantime BP has established an office in Foley, Alabama in anticipation of claims miles from the center where the oil leak continues to spill disastrous amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, with the figures changing daily and recording potentially millions of barrels into the waters daily. More about Oil spill, Containment device, British petroleum, Gulf of Mexico More news from oil spill containment device british petroleum gulf mexico