went over and talked to whoever was up front doing their job and i did mine. >> did you ever observe the oim subsequently hitting the eds? >> no. >> now, as i understand it four or five minutesater the cap feign came back and said to eds correct? >> that's correct. >> so am i right to say you never informed him prior to that that you hit the eds? >> no, i didn't inform him. >> and i also infer that for that four or five-minute period youould have been up at the bridge the entire time? >> yes. >> what were you doing? >> what was i doing up on the bridge? >> yeah, during that four or five-minute time between the time you activated it and the captain came up to you. what were you doing? >> well, what happened was i turned around and i seen steve. i didn't know which way he came in. i said get mark hay up here. i need mark hay.

steve turned around and looked at me and he said do you really need him? i said no. there ain't nothing he can do. i said we ain't got no fluid. all right. so i walked off from the panel. i come back to the panel and that's when i told don, i said look at this panel again. steve, then he turns away and he said, i'm going to the emergency generatoroom. i said you need me to go with you? he didn't say nothing but i lookedut that door and i said, i ain't going. and then the captain come back and said eds and i told him, i already have. >> did you observe what the captain was doing during that four to five minute period? >> wasn't focused on him. >> was it after the captain came up to you or you came up to him and theaptain told you to not

eds, was it after tha that he said abandon ship to everybody? or was it before that? >> that was after he told me to eds. >> how long after? so this would have been again four to five minutes after he originally told you not to do itit was some point after he came to you that he said this. do you know how long? >> it was quick. i mean, i don't, you know, i don't know the time but it was quick. >> and was it at that point when you first left the bridge to go to the life boats or put differently how long after he said abandon ship did you leave the bridge? >> it was quick. >> have you been told about how long bore water started coming out and mud started coming out that they were experiencing well control issues? >> had i been told that? >> yes. >> i mean, i don't understand the question. >> well, obviously at some point

prior to this incident ty were experiencing well control issues. is that fair? >> we had well control issues throughout the well. what point are you talking about? >> well, do you know -- for the time frame of about 20 minutes prior to when the mud started coming out do you know what operations were under way at that time? or do you know if people were dealing with well control issues? >> no, i don't. >> and has anybo told you what the cause of this incident is? >> i'm not here to speculate, you know. just the facts. >> i'm asking you has anybody told y what the cause of this incident is? >> no. >> and when you were up in the bridge did you view that the captain, that he wasanicked or calm or somewhere in between? >> i wasn't focused on the captai i was focused on getting off this whale. >> you don't know one way or the

other whether he was panicked or not. >> no. because my attenti was not on the captain. had you heard, have you heard fr any that at any point the captain was playing video games up at the bridge around the time this incident occurred? or any, frankly, i don't know yet, counsel, that he was playing video games? >> i don't, again, i don't know what they were doing. >>hank you. >> thank you. >> bp?

>> may i proceed, captain? thank you. mr. pleasant my name i >> i appreciate very much so i'm going to fill in the gaps. i'm not going to ask you to do it a third time. i'm going to filln some gaps. i'm not going to ask you to do it a third time. okay? >> that's correct. >> at any time in the evening of april 20, 2010, did you hear gas alarms go off? >> i don't know. >> at any time did the sprinkler system activate? >> i don't know. >> did you ever hear any radio communications between the deep water horizon to the bangston to move away or move off from where they were located? >> i don't know.

>> prior to going to the bridge did you ever run into david young? >> on the deck. >> okay. had he ever come as far as you can recall to visit you in your sub sea office prior to this incident? >> as far as i recall i don't remember seeing him. >> okay. now, you testified that you went and saw the oim, mr. harrell, between approximately 9:30 and 9:40 on the evening of april the 20th. do you recall that? >> yeah, i recall that. >> now, is mr. harrell's office where his accommodations are or is his office somewhere else? his office and accommodations -- i mean, his office is right across from his bedroom. >> okay. and what's your best recollection of the time you left mr. harrell's office? >> my best recollection? you know, like i sd earlier, i was -- it was between 9:30 and

9:40. you know, i can't pin it down to a certain time because i wasn't watching. >> ay. when you ran into mr. murray, when he told you that something bad had happened, do you recall or do you have an estimate of the approximate time whe you encountered mr. murray? >> it would have to be approxately 9:45, you know. >> okay. when you saw the -- >> counsel? >> yes? >> may i terrupt? >> absolutely. >> back to the initial couple questions mr. godfrey asked you with regard to did you hear alarms or did you see something and your response was i don't know, was that because you didn't hear it? >> that's because i -- i mean -- i mean stuff was happening so fast i don't know what i heard and what i didn't hear. i don't know. i mean, i --

>> yes. i just want to make sure. >> i mean, i don't know. >> his question was a yes or no answer and i just want to clarify you what meant by i don't know. that's all. >> well, you know, yes or no to mes if i know. i don't know. i don't know the answer. >> i appreciate that very much. >> i'm not trying to help out counsel. >> no, no, no. i mean -- >> i'll take all the help i can get. >> it's not that you're helping him out. i'm under oath. if i don't know i don't know. >> i'll take the help anyway. ank you, captain. i want to turn for just ainute or so. when you looked at the tv monitor and you were sitting there doing your paperwork, first your colleagues said there was water on the floor? >> that's correct. >> do you know approximately what time that was? do you have an estimate? >> i don't -- i guess 9:43.

>> you got me there. okay? fair enough. you then saw or he saw mud on the floor. right? >> yeah he said, i see mud. >> could you see any people around the mud or you just saw mud on the floor? >> i turned. the tv is behind me. i turned back to look at the tv. i picked up the phone, you know, i didn't sit there and watch tv. i dialed to see what's going on. nobody answered the phone. that's when i took out and seen mr. murray in the hallway. >> okay. then i think we've covered the bridge. let me go to earlier in the day. i think i've filled in the chronology questions i had. you came on duty around 5:30 or 6:00 and you saw -- >> that's correct. >> you saw a discussion between a number of people regarding negative tests, right? >> that's correct. >> was that the first negative test? >> that was the first negative test. >> and was the conclusion reached by the crew at the time that the first negative test had been passed successfully?

i'll be more specific. was the conclusion that you heard at the time reached by the transocean crew was that the first negative test passed successfully? >> what i heard was bob say that according to the apd that we didn't get a negative test. he was going to talk to don about it. >> he wanted another negative test done, is that right? >> i don't know ife wanted another one or not. all i know, he said according to apd we didn't achievehe results. >> from your observation did the transocean crew appear to conclude that the first negative test had been passed successfully? >> i was making my relief. they was over there talking. you know, you could hear bits and pieces of it but i don't know what they determined.

>> was a second negative test then done? >> yes. was that passed successfully to your knowledge? >> to my knowledge it passed successfully. >> now, you said something about, and i apologize if i misheard this. you said something about a youtube? >> yes. >> okay. did you know what they were referring to? >> well, i understand that it didn't, the mud didn't go through the annular but a you-tube. i have no idea. >> okay. that was before the second negative pressure test? >> that was before the second one. >> then the secondne was done? >> that's correct. >> then it was passed? >> as far as we know it passed. >> okay. just final questions about b.o.p. maintenance. who does or who performed the electronic maintenance on the b.o.p. onboard the deepwater horizon? >> well, it just depends on what kind of electronics it is. we got electronic technicians,

you know, if they can do , if t, we call cameron. >> okay. you also testified that there were a number of maintenance items that were done pri to the blp splash. do you recall that? >> that's correct. >> okay. do you have a list of the maintenance items that were done prior to the b.o.p. splash for this wall? >> do i have one with me? >> no. a list in your mind peaps. >> yes, i mean, basically, you know, it's standard procedure that when we retrieve the b.o.p.s we change out all the rubber goods, change out all the rubber goods. as far as annulars we change the rubber goods. as far as going into a piston, that depends on if, you know, we have something leaking or if we cut a window in the casing or something like that, you know. a lot of things depend on what happened in that whale.

but, you know, like i say, the normal things are checking accumulator bottles. you have to adjust them for different water depth. you change out all of your filters in your pods. you check all of your precharges. you grease all of your valves. check -- grease all your operating valves. check all of your hoses. you inspect your connectors, ange out the gaskets in those. that's normal. i mean, it's several other things. if we have any issues with pods or something, you know, we'll work on them. if a valve needs rebuilding. >> prior to the b.o.p. splash for this well, did you change the hoses? >> yes, we did. half inch. >> who changed the hoses? >> sub c support team. >> from transocean? >> that's correct. did you change the batteries?

>> no, sir. >> did you change the hydraul lines? >> already hydraulic lines. >> did you change any of the electric equipment? >> and when you say batteries, which batteries are you referring to? >> well, let's take the pods. did you do anything with respect to maintenance with the blue pod or yellow pod? >> as far as going into the seals? >> yes. >> no. that was done by cameron. >> okay. are there records of what you did with respect to the maintenance of the b.o.p. prior to the splash from well 252? >> i don't know. i hadn't talked to anybody if houston got them or not. i mean, it was on the deepwater horizon. >> would the records and maintenance for the b.o.p. be kept both on the rig, itself, and in houston?

>> i don't know. >> thank you very much. really appreciate your testimony, sir. >> thank you. >> thank you, sir. mr. pleasant, thank you for coming here today to give us your testimony. are there any questions we didn't ask you or any information we should ab ware of that has relevance to this investigation u would like to tell us? >> i have no information. i mean, i gave you everything i knew today. >> yes, sir. thank you. in the future if we need additional information from you would you make yourself ailable to the bod? >> available 24/7. >> thank you, sir. you're dismissed. appreciate it. we'll go ahead and take a break and reconvene at 11:30.

>> "washington journal" begins live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. today on "america and the courts" talk about the u.s. administrative conference, a federal independent agent si and advisory committee that ensures the fair and efficient agency. both justices worked at the agency before serving on the supreme court. hear their remarks here on c-span. >> the treaty before you is an evolution, agreements that go back to the 1970's, and

particularly of the series of agreements that were started in the reagan administration and considered in some form in every subsequent administration. >> watch the moments that make history. right now, online at the c-span video lie brabe. it's washington your way. every program since 1987 available free online. >> california congressman, the top ranking republican on the house oversight committee called for an investigation into allegations by pennsylvania congressman who says the white house offered him an administration position in ex change for not running for the senate seat now occupied by arlen spector. he recently defeated him in the democratic primary. he speaks for about 10 minutes.

>> today i received a copy of the administration's answer to our 10 week investigation as to the allegations by congressman former admiral in which he has repeatedly said he was offered a job in return for getting out of the race. during these 10 weeks, congressman has repeated many, many times with exacting detail. he was offered a job for getting out of the senate race by someone from the white house. today, the announcement came from the white house from their counsel that in fact rob emanuel had instructed former president clinton to make such an offer. the offer is allegedly an unpaid position in the department of defense. we find this to be less than

fully credible and it raises more questions than answers. more importantly, upon seeking guidance from counsel, i found that 18 u.s.c. 600 and 595 are still deeply in question. not wanting to investigate this anymore than necessary myself, ranking member lamar smith and the rest of the republicans on the committee are today sending a letter to robert mueller, the director of the f.b.i. asking him to open an investigation in a similar fashion to the one done under the clinton white house so-called travel gate. we believe that if the attorney general will not, as has been asked of him both in hearings and by the senate republicans, investigate this through an independent counsel. at a minimum, allegations made

and now confirmed need to be checked by law enforcement officials able to discern whether these or other criminal codes have been violated. this does not mean that we will give up our investigation. what it does mean is that we would prefer that we concentrate on the committee on the question of the proper role of the white house through transparency and overnight, ethical behavior and the administration of trillions of dollars of taxpayer's money. this is best left to independent investigators either at the f.b.i. or through the u.s. attorney's office. we are again reiterating that that's what we would like but we must have closure on this, which today's letter from the white house actually created more questions than answers. and with that, i would like to answer your questions.

>> what are some of the -- what are those questions? >> well, one of them is in the plain englashe reading of 18 u.s. code, or u.s.c. as we call it, 600, the admission that a position was offered in return for the desired effect of getting him out of the senate race, both of those speak specifically to such an action. they talk about a number of different ways contracts and so on. but they specifically name position. not paid position, not unpaid position, but position. as being a violation of u.s.c. 600. additionally, u.s.c., 18 u.s.c. 595 is more broadly related to a senate race. although the white house says in its closing remark there have

been numerous reported instances in the past when prior administrations, both democratic and republican, and motivated by the same goals, and i would presume that to be to clear the field, discussed alternative path to service for qualified individuals also considering campaigns for public office. such discussions are -- i think it's clear that it's not consistent with the standard that president obama said he was setting for his administration. it also, at least on the face of the plain english of the law is not consistent with the law, but violation of the law. >> have you tried to contact or walk across the aisle to talk to him? >> conversations between two members of congress, although they occur regularly and i have

talked briefly with him, would be inappropriate for us to do for ourselves. we have a procedure if there are questions to deal with that. but in this case, the congressman has been forthcoming in two ways. one, he's repeated the same allegation of criminal misconduct by the white house, and two, he has said he cooperate with an investigation. he has repeated that. although this is a joint statement that appears to be coordinated through his campaign, we would welcome the f.b.i. or a u.s. attorney investigating in an order course in which the congressman could be asked questions and answer them appropriately. members of congress are not to investigate each other with the narrow exception of the ethics committee which is not invoked and i'm not on. other questions? yes, sir? >> how does 18 u.s.c. 600 apply

with political fund raisers where you get a photo op with a candidate or for the president? >> it doesn't. in this case, it is very clear that it is designed to applicable to offering somebody a position or a job. a politician supplying his time or his photo op as you say is very much consistent with the federal election commission rules and laws. so, although many people, myself included, would prefer we had a system of financing our campaigns and funding them that was less open to the question of what did somebody give you $2400 for if not for something else, the fruth is in this case, this statute which has been modernized repeatedly, last time in 2006 is specifically intended

to protect from direct giving of jobs, or other things of value in return for anything of value. and 595, more specifically of course, deals with the senate. 600 deals in general with all political offices. understand that it is extremely easy for a congressman or senator to talk in terms well, i'll have a large staff, this or that if i'm elected. therefore, you know, i'll be able to apoint your daughter to west point or whatever. these are wrong, their criminal. they learn where these lines get crossed and why you can't cross them. the assertion by the administration that these are usual begs two questions. one, is this an administration that is business as usual. that these petty crimes as they appear to consider them are ok

because there's no need for a change? or, is it that now that the president's in office, what he said no longer applies? i think there are two things we have to bear in mind. one is, in my 10 years in the house, i've never had an irrefuteable statement by a credible witness and then confirmed by the person who bestowed that offer that one can say on the face of these statements, one could bring credible charge. yes, sir? >> a rather slow department from the white house and the justice department. what makes you think the f.b.i. will be any faster? >> first of all, we're not in a hurry. we want to see the process done. yes, the 10 weeks of stalling, and if you will, hoping for it to go away and cover up really have been i think inconsistent with the promise of a white

house. now they have given us this, they've given certainly a valid reason for further investigation. i would like one investigation to begin for it to be done in the order course the way it would be. these investigations can take weeks, maybe a little longer. but they should be done properly and independently. i don't want to have a political witch hunt. i don't want to have politics in the middle of this. after all it was a democrat asking another democrat to ask another democrat if he would take the position in return for getting out of the democratic primary. that is probably by definition some tinge the democrats would not be good to investigate, nor would they want republicans to it vest gate. other questions? yes, sir? >> will the investigation continue past the election? >> you know, i would expect it wouldn't take nearly that long. many of the facts are known. we know that ralm emanuel was

involved. we would undoubtedly expect the president knew but the introductions appear to come from raum emanuel. that's a farley small group of people. i think the attorney, the u.s. attorney or the f.b.i. should be able to interview the witnesses, come up with an independent pinding in a short period of time. anything else? i want to thank you all for coming today, good-bye. >> congressman head a statement to talk about his conversation with former president clinton about an obama administration appointment that was meant to keep him out of a primary. today the white house acknowledged that an offer was made. he said he never considered any

position with the white house. he spoke here for about 15 minutes. >> congressman, what about bringing president clinton into this, we hasn't heard his name mentioned before. why didn't you just say this was the person who was involved in this? this is what he said? why didn't you hear that earlier? >> if pit clinton had called me last summer and, i just didn't feel it was right for me to talk about that conversation with him. >> can you describe what your reaction was to him? and was it just one phone call you got from him? >> he's called several times. >> about this particular -- >> no, this is the only time. called last summer, and during

the conversation he talked about how tough this democrat primary might be if i got in. and he also said you know, you've done well in the house. with your military background can really make a mark there. and then brought up during a conversation that rahm emanuel had brought up, about a presidential board or something. if i were to stay in the house. i almost interrupted the president and said mr. president , i am going to decide to get in this or not only depending upon what's good for pennsylvania's working families, not an offer. and he said i knew you would say that. >> was it something the white house was asking president

clinton to do? >> i'm sorry? >> was it very clear that the white house had been pressuring him? >> he said he had been talking to rahm, -- can i just take -- i'll try to get to all the questions, all right? >> congressman, this could have been very much a misdemeanor, perhaps even a felony? >> oh if i ever thought anything had been wrong about this, i would have reported it. >> but you've consistently said nothing inappropriate happened. is it you're contention that what president clinton said bringing up a job in relation to your senate race, would you say that's inappropriate or no? >> well, i was very conscious that the democrats did not want me in the race. i merely looked at this as just another effort by the democratic establishment in washington, d.c. >> was it inappropriate? >> no. there was nothing wrong that was

done. >> you called it a job, and yet -- why did you call ate job? >> i'm sorry, can you hear me? face the cameras -- >> no comment, anything you want to talk about. i'm wondering why you called it a job and not a position? >> well, if you remember, this happened last july. nobody ever asked me about it. suddenly i think it was in february, someone asked me did they offer you a job? and i felt for my own personal accountability i needed to be honest and i said yes. i didn't try to parse the word there. then i said after that, no comment to the follow on questions that were asked. because, i talk about my role in the matter and i thought that was important for me to do. >> was there any other calls or communications, any other position? >> no, no. just that one phone call.

this portion of the conversation probably lasted -- i mean, i'm not exactly sure of the time. but i would say 30 to 60 seconds. i mean we were off in another conversation and he came up during an end. it was almost as if he were saying the words, i almost felt like i was interrupting. i would only get out of this or not get into it, because i wasn't in the primary at the time if i felt it was the right thing to do for pennsylvania work families, and not for an offer. >> he stopped it there? >> he chuckled and he said joe i knew you would say that. go ahead. i'm just trying to -- >> through that conversation in july, and then the larry king

interview, how often have you spoken to bill clinton about this? >> never. never again. >> not since february? >> no. >> between february and now? >> no, absolutely not. but he did call to congratulate me. >> congressman -- >> if you don't mind -- the answer is no. i got you already. go ahead. can i just quickly go around one time. look, i understand washington, d.c. is often about political deals. you know. i didn't feel bad or good or indifferent. i merely said no and moved on. to focus on what i want to focus on is people have been slammed. literally ripped apart because washington, d.c. hasn't been accountable to them. that's what we'll continue to focus on.

>> you said this is what washington is all about -- >> no, washington does this type of stuff. >> your campaign is in large part against what happens in washington. so, given that, what do you think about the position you were in? the ethical questions that you have been raising? >> well, i was asked a question, if i was interested in this i said no. and as i said, i would only not get in if it were the right thing for the pennsylvania workers families, not for an offer. >> do you feel you needed to close -- >> i did. when i was asked a question, i answered it. and for my role in it. today, the white house talked about the rest of it. >> do you think that any of this washes up on your campaign in anyway? again, not that you necessarily did anything wrong but just because we've been dealing with this in the past news cycle and continue to hear about this? >> no, not at all.

people, come on up with me to 67 county. they're not worried about my job, they're worried about their job. i honestly believe washington, d.c. forgets about them. i'll never forget the farmer, potter county when i asked him how was the recession last july when i was deciding whether to get in or not, and he said not too bad. i was hurting so much already. i tell you, i think washington, d.c. had better focus on them. that's all we've done in our campaign. is keep the focus on them. yes, ma'am? >> for clarification, why didn't you tell this story when you were on "meet the press" this past weekend? >> because i didn't feel it was right for me, after being called by the former president of the united states to talk about details of that conversation. >> never spoke to him about anything? >> no. last time i saw rahm was, i

think it was march a year ago. they were hauling over people there. >> at any point do you feel the former president was crossing the line? >> absolutely not. >> if it wasn't inappropriate it may still be hard for us to understand why you couldn't reveal the many, many times you were asked anything about the conversation. the fact that it was president clinton you had the conversation with? >> i honestly didn't feel it was right for me. didn't feel comfortable at all talking about a former president of the united states would call me to talk about. when i was asked about my role to answer that. >> you run on concerns -- yes, i'm sorry, i interrupted. >> i'm sorry. >> go aahead. >> this is the part of your

position to detail. i just don't understand why you couldn't just disclose that it was. >> but it was, when i was asked a question, and by the way i never put that out there. somebody asked me a question in february about something that happened eight months or seven months earlier and i won, and i said yes. about my personal accountability in some issue that mattered. and i did. >> could you clarify exactly what it was? >> yep. at the time i heard the words presidential board. but that's all i heard. and it didn't matter what it was. it wasn't anything else and i just said mr. ., as i said to you, i almost interrupted him, no, i said. >> but you never really knew what the job was? >> i heard presidential and board, and you know, that was kind of what i heard. it was about either intelligence, it was like -- but

i wasn't interested. that was the bottom line. >> how close is your relationship with bill clinton? do you have admiration for them? >> i have great respect and admiration for president clinton. i do. look, i don't want to -- i was just at the under the navy captain, but he calls every so often just to check in. how's the race going. >> do you ask him for advice? >> sure. i was sitting at his home in georgetown when the issue about arlen specter switching parties came out. asking for the final stuff before i announced. when arlen specter was still a republican. i remember when he -- when my

daughter had a brain tumor and i was out with her. she heard me talk and said that the president? and he talked to her for five minutes on the phone. so yeah, i have great respect and admiration. >> the white house called your brother? and people will read things into that. >> they called my brother to say, we just want you to know that they're doing a review, just want you to see if -- let you know when they're going to go out and let you give you a heads up of what it's going to say. >> but nothing untowards there? >> no, my brother was just a conduit. somebody from washington called me, i'm hoping to go right over there and work very well with people, never with a compromise of principle, but with a principle compromise. i do believe that principle

should triumph over politics. no, not at all. not at all. >> now that the details are out about this, do you think this will die out? >> look, you're from pennsylvania. you know people don't care about this up there. >> you know -- >> they do care about their jobs that they're holding onto or the ones they've lost. >> they've called for an f.b.i. investigation. do you think anything will come of that? >> no, no. >> does that seem like -- i don't know, too little? >> i didn't even think about it. just no, and i got to make a decision. >> not a lot of value at all. >> i didn't even think about it. i heard presidential board and i think it was -- >> was it made clear that he wanted you to keep your seat? >> he made it clear, rahm had

brought up being appointed to the presidential board. to your question sir, i almost interrupted. i think i did a little bit. i wasn't rude, i just said no. look, i'm sorry i kept you until this. i hope you didn't mind. the next two days i promised alex, i'm really just taking two days with her. i appreciate you letting me do it here. i promised after the race i would take two whole days. monday i'm at the parade and i'll be back out there. thank you very much. >> today on "america and the courts" --

>> president obama visited the gulf coast of louisiana and gave an update on the oil spill in the gulf of mexico. during his remarks he said he ultimately takes responsibility for solving the crisis. speaking from grand aisle, louisiana, his statement is about 15 minutes. >> good afternoon everybody. i know it's a little warm out here so i want to get started. i just had a meeting with these governors, members of congress, local officials. as well as admiral thad allen, the national incident commander.

he gave us an update on both the efforts to plug the well, as well as giving us an update on arrangements and coordination being made with respect to mitigating damage that's been done. he updated us to stop the leak to the great beaches in gulf coast. i had the chance to visit with charlotte, the they give you a sense of what extraordinary efforts are being made at the local level. but also the damage we're starting to see is the consequence of this spill. now our mission remains the same since this disaster began. since the day i visited louisiana nearly four weeks ago. we want to stop the leak, contain and clean up the oil and we want to help the people return to their lives and their

livelihoods as soon as possible. i treat this event for what it is. an assault on our shores, on our people, on the regional economy, and on communities like this one. parents are worried about the implications for their children's health. every resident of this community has watched this nightmare threaten the dreams they've worked so hard to build. and they want it made right and they want to make it right now. i just had a chance to listen tomei your david of grand island, our host here, telling us heart breaking stories about a fisherman who are trying to figure out where the next paycheck's going to come from, how are they going to pay a mortgage, or a note on their boat. and he is having to dig into his

pocket at this point to make sure some of them are able to deal with economic impact. so, this is something that has to be dealt with immediately. not sometime later. and that's everybody's drive and focus. everybody was standing behind him. this is our highest priority and it deserves a response that is equal to the task. that's why this is already been the largest clean up effort in u.s. history. on the day this disaster began, even as we launched a search and rescue effort for workers on the drilling rig, we're already staging equipment in the event of a larger scale spill. by the time we discovered the third breach, a week after the deep water platform sank, we already stationed more than 70 vessels and hundreds of thousands of protective on site. today there are more than 20,000 people in the region working around the clock to contain and clean up this spill. we've activated about 1,400

members of the national guard across four states. nearly 1,400 vessels are aiding in the containment of clean up effort and we deployed more than three million feet of boom including additional 100,000 in these parrishes in louisiana that face the greatest threat. now i've made clear to admiral allan, and i did so again today, that he should get whatever he needs to deal with this crisis. whatever he needs he will get. right now, we're still within the window where we don't yet know the outcome of the highly complex procedure that the federal government authorized b.p. to use to try to stop the leak. if it is successful, it would obviously be welcome news. if it's not, a team of some world top scientists, engineers and experts led by our energy secretary and noblee prize win

has been exploring any and all reasonable plans. our response will continue regardless of the approach. even if the leak were stopped today, it doesn't -- more of it will come ashore. to ensure that we're fully prepared for that and with folks down here, i've directed the secretary and admiral allan to trip it'll man power in places where oil has hit the shore or is within 24 hours of impact. this increase will allow us to further intensify this already historic response. contain and remove oil more quickly and help minimize the time that any oil comes into contact with our cost line. that means deploying more boom, cleaning more beaches, performing more monitoring of wildlife and impact to this ecosystem. we're also going to continue to do what it takes to help

americans whose lives have been upended by this spill. gulf coast residents should know that we've gathered all pertinent asks regarding available assistance and the federal response in one place at white house.gov. we have ordered b.p. to pay economic injury claims and we will make sure they deliver. the parrish president and governor's here in louisiana were already giving us some sense of bureaucratic problems we're going to have to cut through, but we are going to have to cut through them. for those in economic distress if you already filed a claim and you're not satisfied with the resolution, then white house.gov will point you in the right direction. as i said yesterday, the small business administration stepped in to help businesses by approving loans, but also as important allowing many to defer existing loan payments. a lot of folks are still loaded up with loans that they had from katrina and other natural

disasters down here. so they may need some additional help. if you're a small business owner and you weren't aware or haven't participated, then again the white house website will connect you to the resources you need. and they will be aware of how to immediate help from us. we've stationed doctors and scientists from across the five gulf coast states to monitor any ill effects felt by clean up workers and local residents. we've begun to set up a system to track those efforts. we've told b.p. that we expect them to pay for that too. what b.p. is responsible for

stopping the leak and financially responsible for the enormous damage they've created. we're going to hold them accountable along with any other party responsible for the initial explosion, and loss of life on that platform. but as i said yesterday and i repeated in the meeting we just left, i ultimately take responsibility for solving this crisis. i'm the president and the buck stops with me. so i give my word that we're going to hold ourselves accountable to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this catastrophe, defend our natural resources, to repair the damage, and to keep this region on its feet. justice will be done for those whose lives have been upended by this disaster. for the family of those who have been lost. this is a solemn pledge that i am making. i think i can speak for anybody here and anybody who has been

involved in the clean up effort, and more most americans when i say i would gladly do whatever it takes to end this disaster today. but i want to also repeat something that i said to the group as a whole while we were meeting this is a man made catastrophe that's still evolving. you face a long term recovery and restoration effort. america has never experienced an event like this before. that means that as we respond to it, not every judgment we make is going to be right the first time-out. sometimes there are going to be disagreements between states, or state officials, about what the most effective measures will be. sometimes they're going to be risks and unintended consequences associated with a particular mitigation strategy that we consider. in other words, they're going to be a lot of judgment calls

involved here. they're not going to be silver bullets where a lot of perfect answers for some of the challenges that we face. understandably, the feelings of frustration and anger, the sense that we expect it to continue until we solve this problem. but in the meantime, we've got to make sure everybody's working in concert. that everybody is moving in the same direction. and i want everybody to know that everybody here at every level is working night and day to end this crisis. we're considering every single idea out there, especially from folks who know these community bests. admiral allen announced yesterday, for example, that after a bunch of back and forth between state and federal experts, he is prepared to authorize move forward with a portion of the ideal for a

barrier island that may stop some of the oil from coming ashore. we had an extensive conversation about this, to see whether additional steps can be taken on this barrier island idea. and what i told the parrish president, what i told the governor, if there is an idea to be shown to work and we should move forward on it. and they deserve quick answers. but i also reminded everybody that we've got to make sure that whatever we do is actually going to work, particularly we're going to have not unlimited resources, at least not right now. for example, there's a limited amount of boom. we're going to try to get more boom manufactured, but that may take some time and that means we're going to have to make some decisions about how to deploy it effectively. the bottom line is this. every decision we make is based on a single criteria. what's going to best protect and make whole the people and the ecosystems of the gulf. and i want to thank everybody in

this region whose rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to help, from the national guard, to the local citizens who loves this area and calls it home. every american who has traveled to the region to lend a hand. if any american is looking for ways to volunteer and help, then we put links to that information on our website as well. that's white house.gov. all these governors, they want, and i know haley barbara's not here, but i think he agrees with it as well, the most positive way to help the gulf is to visit the communities and the beaches off the coast. except for three beaches here in louisiana, all of the gulf's beaches at this moment are open. they are safe, and they are clean. and that's always a good way to help is to come down and provide support to the communities along

the coast. the people of the gulf coast, i know that you've weathered your fair share of trials and tragedy. i know there have been times you've wondered if you're being asked them to face alone. i am here to tell you that you're not alone. you will not be abandoned, you will not be left behind. the cameras at some point may leave. the media may get tired of the story. but we will not. we are on your side and we will see you through. we're going to keep at this every day until the leak has stopped, until this coastline is clean and your communities are made whole again. that's my promise to you. and that is a promise on behalf of a nation. it is one that we will keep. and i will make one last point, and i said this to every leader who was here. if something is not going right down here, then they need to talk to thad allen. if they're not getting facts from thad allen, they can talk

to me. there's nobody here who can't get in touch with me directly if there is an idea, a suggestion or a logjam that needs to be dealt with. so, we're in this together. and it's going to be a difficult time. obviously the folks down here are going to be feeling the brunt of it. but we're going to make sure we're doing everything we can to get this solved as quickly as possible. i want to thank everybody here for the extraordinary work that they're putting in. you shouldn't underestimate how hard these folks are working day in, day out on behalf of their people. so thank you very much. thank you everybody. [cheers and applause]

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