governor riley understands this. he has been a regular presence on our calls and a relentless advocate for alabama throughout this process. we are absolutely committed to working with him and the local officials behind us to do everything in our power to protect the gulf way of life so that it is there for our and great-grandchildrenhildren%- everybody here has had experience dealing with disasters. we were flying from mississippi by helicopter and you can see the buildings that were decimated by hurricane katrina. in some ways what we are dealing with here is unique because it is not simply one catastrophic event. it is an ongoing assault whose movements are constantly changing. that is what makes this crisis so challenging. it means it has to be constantly watched. it has to be tracked. we constantly have to redeploy resources to make sure they are having maximum impact. we also need to make sure that we're constaatly helping folks who have been hurt by it even as we are stopping the oil from spreading into more an

riley, and he was pitching a complete fit to the president, saying, you said all the boom from alabamalouisiana. to you, if that changes in the next week, and it all starts moving to mobile, and he is telling the president, you've left us defenseless. >> the coast is full of navy boom, and we don't have enough containment. >> i am not defending them, i am just telling you it is a big coast. >> you got marshland in louisiana that you cannot clean up. but when you talk about the beach, it is a different story. we can claim the beach. they can skim biloxi beach. but the areas where we have, if you can go in and did that. >> do we know how many miles it would take to block all the marshlands in louisiana? what is it? >> 21 miles. >> if we stop it right at the coastline. >> and we should focus on that and get that done. >> some of the fisherman, they use their resources recently to put boom out. and that is part of what we don't see that and our area. when they talk about clinton, they're talking about training and not doing it. they're talking about laying people off that had been putting

now, i announced this week that bob graham and bill riley, two respected individuals who have experienceoth on the environmental side and energy sector, are going to be examining the next six months what went wrong but forward looking how do we increase domestic oil production without seek the kinds of disasters we are witnessing on television. i think governor jindal and other parish presidents spoke about the immediate impact and what i said to them is the same thing i said to graham and reilly. if they can front-load some of the analysis of what went wrong and how you would solve what has happened and what can happen, and you can do that more quickly than six months, then let me know. don't hold the results of your review for six months and then tell me. tell me when you find out. what i told the folks in this room was i'm not going to cut corners on it and i'm not going to press them to move faster than it would take to do an accurate, independent job based on sound science, because i do not want to see this repeated and the american people don't and i promise you the people of the g

you can have a half our presentation beforehand that would include a little rachel matter, a little riley, a little overman. also a letter their news are. some of my friends on npr. and then kick off the conversation that would at least try to bring people together. politics needs to be fun. i think oneof my biggest criticism of the way we deal with politics is we get so serious about that we forget in our history, politics was once a great form of mass entertnment. people what to political rallies for goodness sake, because they like seeing their friends. they like getting together. we have lost the fun in politics, and so because i have noted that you have such a warm spirit, and charging you with restoring fun. [laughter] >> and politics. and gary bass, all journalists are for transparency and disclosure. so i salute you and your work. i also salute you for your work on behalf of social justice. but i also salute you for noting that transparency isn't te solution all by itself. we need to create a political climate in which people actually allow the facts to play a central role in thei

former florida senator bob graham and former epa chief william riley will head the panel. >> i'm directing them to report back in six months with options for how we can prevent and mitigate the impact of any future spill that result from off-shore drilling. >> reporter: the president also discussed a separate investigation of possible criminal liability. to that end, u.s. attorney general eric holder was on the gulf coast today meeting with his state counterparts. >> we have already instructed all relevant parties to preserve any documents that may shed light on the facts surrounding this disaster. as our review expands in the days ahead, we will be meticulous. we will be comprehensive. and we will be aggressive. >> reporter: in towns all along the gulf coast even where the oil hasn't come ashore yet, people have been following raptly the news of the oil spill. this is the town named after the pirate jean lafeet who helped andrew jackson in the war of 1812. in this town some people are angry. some people are just resigned. but they're all deeply worried about their futures. while the feder

. >> woodruff: alabama governor bob riley had a complaint of his own-- that locals, put out of work by the spill, are not being hired to help clean it up. >> every person i saw tending boom was from the state of maine. now that just defies logic. and again, we have had assurances from everyone involved that that's about to change. >> woodruff: meanwhile, scientists confirmed today that at least two giant underwater plumes of oil have accumulated in the gulf. last weekend, b.p.'s c.e.o., tony hayward, denied such plumes existed. today, hayward faced a different challenge-- reassuring b.p. investors. in a conference call, he said the firm had sufficient cash reserves to meet its obligations, and he pledged to restore both the gulf coast and his company's sullied name. but the president said now is not the time to worry about corporate image. >> my understanding is b.p. has contracted for $50 million in tv ads to manage their image. but they have moral and legal obligations here in gulf. what i don't want to hear is, when spending money on shareholders and ads, that they're nickel and dim

i had a long meeting with governor riley and congressman bonner friday in mobile.ed about the problems that the nax faces. we listened to the mayors of gulf shores and orange bch and people who representhe mobile bay area and the threats that are being faced there. there's quite a bit of concern, frankly, a lot of intensity of feeling that things have not gone as well as they could, and we do need to do better. we must do better. i really want to thank governor riley for his personal leadership in leading the effort to coordinate the response with regard to the alabama area. today marks the 50th day that oil has been pouring into the gulf of mexico, and it looks like you'll be some time before we are fully able to comprehend the impact of this spill and the extent of the damage to our environment. stopping this leak, of course, is the top priority, because defensive measures, trying to stop what's flowed out will never be able as i have learned, to completely stop the flow into our estuariries and beaches and even small amounts can cause serious damage. the coast g

he report from the new commission that has been established with senator graham and bill riley. that commission, we will be working with closely per the secretary's comments to fold in everything that's going on so that they have in front of them theull record. theris,course, a minerals manament service united states coast guard joint report that is going on right now, joint inveigation. that will be fed into the presidential commission. there's an independent evaluation by the national academy of engi that will be fed into the commission and the commission itself will be undertaking its own investigation, so we will be looking to the commission ultimately a we expect to be in have every of information potentially important for their delibetions on what their long-term recommendations are. >> senator murkowski? >> mr. airman, secretary salazar, you mentioned the decisi as it related to the cha chacii and beaufort. i don't know if you reviewed the white paper presented by the u.s. arctic research commission. they essentially are advocating for additional research in subarctic con

governor riley understands it. he has been a regular presence on our daily coordinating calls, and a relentless advocate for alabama throughout this process. and we're absolutely committed to working with him and all the local officials who are behind us to do everything in our power to protect the gulf way of life so that it is there for our children and our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren. now everybody here has had experiences dealing with disasters. as we were flying over from this -- from mississippi via helicopter, you could see the footprints of buildings that had been decimated from katrina. but in some ways, what we're dealing with here is unique because it is not simply one catastrophic event. it is an ongoing assault whose movements are constantly changing. that is what makes this crisis so challenging. it means that it has to be constantly watched. it passed the track. we are constantly having to redeploy resources to make sure that they are having maximum impact. and we also need to make sure

william riley has an outstanding record as an e.p.a.dministrator and has direct experience with valdez. senator, graham, i'm very encouraged by everything he said since his appointment. so i'm -- i for one am encouraged by what i've been hearing from the cearimission ts far and by what the president has said about, you know, the commission being able to investigate whatever they need to, to make sure that this boesn't hntepen gisain. >> buffalo, new york, greg, welcome. caller: you look like you're about ready to cry. let me give you a little advice. we all love the birds, and you got to take it easy. you folks are getting excited. i love your smile. that's what i want to see. listen to me, searie birds are going to die. i'm worried about those folks with the shrimp so they can have their gumbo. the ocean is going to handle a lot of this. we'll get it cleaned up. it's not going to be a 100-year thing. take it easy. we all love the birds, but it's not the end of the world. guest: that was an entertaining call. i feel like i have a pretty

he report from the new commission that has been establisd with senator graham and bill riley.ommission, we will be working with closely per the secretary's comments to fold in everything that's going on so that they have in front of them thel record. there is,course, a minerals management service united states coast guard joint report that is going on right now, joint investigation. that will be fed into the presidential commission. there's an independent evaluation by the national academy of engi that will be fed into the commission and the commission itself will be undertaking its own investigation, so we will be looking to the commission dialogue to make sure they be have every of information potentially important for their deliberations on what their long-term recommendations are. >> senator murkowski? >> mr. chairman, secretary salazar, you mentioned the decision as it related to the cha chacii and beaufort. i don't know if you reviewed the white paper presented by the u.s. arctic research commission. they essentially are advocating for additional research in subarctic co

as general all riley -- general all riley has made clear in testimony, we reached the conclusion that it is actually cheaper to build smaller, tailor-made missile defense silo's than to confirm it -- and to convert defense of launchers. we could've had a long list. we're not going to launch from any moving vehicle, like a car or truck breakout. we could have set a lot of things that we're not going to do. the fact is that we were not going to do them. as the treaty does not restrict us in any way from building new missile defense launchers, 14 of which are currently being constructed in alaska. the very fact on the ground refute any argument to the contrary. the obama administration has requested $9.9 billion for missile defense in fy11. the new start treaty does not restrict our ability to modernize our nuclear weapons complex to maintain a safe, secure deterrent. this administration has called for a 10% increase for overall weapons and infrastructure activities in a time of very serious budget constraints. we called for a 25% increase in direct stockpile work. during the next 10 yea

i really want to thank governor riley for his perge leadership in leading the effort to coordinate the response with regard to the alabama area. today marks the 50th day that oil has been pouring into the gulf of mexico and it looks like it'll be some time before we're fully able to comprehend the impact of this spill and the extent of the damage to our environment. stopping this leak, of course, is the top priority because defensive measures, trying to stop what's flowed out, will never be able to -- will never be able, as i have learned to completely stop the flow into our estuaries and beaches and even small amounts can cause serious damage. the coast guard, b.p., m.m.s., noaa, the e.p.a. continue toe valuate and implement subsea and subsurface areas to stop the flow while closely monitoring its effect on the slirmente. i am encouraged by yesterday's announcement where admiral allen confirmed the capturing by b.p. of around 462,000 gallons of oil a day, which is a substantial increase from what was occurring friday. that is a positive step. if this procedure continues to work, i'm h

caller: just a comment about general patraeus, going back to 1966 and fort riley, kansas.hey have as walking -- i was in the u.s. infantry in the army. they had as walking and gave us one canteen of water. -- they had us walking and it was one canteen of water. what i'm trying to bring out is the point of dehydration. we are so far behind in our thinking about what should be done and what is being done. it takes hundreds of men to pass out before they realize, maybe they should give them a little more water. what i'm trying to point out is that generals are the most carrigan people i have ever in my life encountered. -- most arrogant people i have ever in my life encountered. they are walking gods. i think we do need them, but that is just a comment about generals. host: tony, thank you for the call. a twitter comment from a viewer -- at c-span.org we have a hub lead you can watch the elena kagan confirmation hearings. you can also watch it from a number of camera angles. and you can see confirmation hearings bypass gas, past nominees -- by pass to guess, past nominees. ne

there is a second larger issue that the local leaders identified to the president and governor riley indicated to me on saturday. that is businesses putting claims in. for the inability to operate, seafood manufacturing plants and so forth. those claims are processed in a different way and require different documentation and business information. that appears that may be cumbersome. we're having a meeting with british petroleum to simplify their ability to handle claims from businesses. they do not have a history of doing that kind -- type of work. they brought in claims adjusters but they need to do that better and quicker. >> we heard as the admiral said on friday, both with elected officials and when we met with fishermen, we met with seafood processors who are going through this process. we have set up as we talked about on friday, if you go to a disasterassistance.gov, there is a large icon for people to go to if they're having difficulty getting their claims adjudicated by bp. an official is set up by fema that works directly with the national incident commander to ensure that

. >> i just met with these two gentlemen, bob grant and bill riley. they will be the national commission on the bp oil spill in the gulf. this is now the greatest environmental disaster in our history. their job, along with the other members of the commission, will be to thoroughly examine this bill and its causes, so we never faced such a catastrophe again. we're continuing our efforts on all fronts to contain the damage from this disaster and extend to the people they need to confront this ordeal. we have already mounted the largest cleanup efforts in the nation's history. we continue to monitor minute to minute, the efforts to halt or capture the flow of oil from iraq to bp well. until the well is stopped, we will multiplied our efforts to meet the growing threat and to address the widespread and unbelievably losses experienced by the people along the gulf coast. what is being threatened, what is being lost, it isn't just a source of income, but a way of life. there are now more than 20,000 men and women in the region working round-the-clock to con

it is the seat and bob riley is going to be vacating. he is not eligible because of term limits. he is a republican bid in the democratic race, you have -- he is a republican. in the democratic race, you have in the democratic race, you have artur davis, a congressman. and you have a cordesman who switched parties and december -- congressman who switched parties in december and became a republican after being a democrat. host: some familiar names, including in new mexico, the son of the former senator pete domenici. guest: [no audio] it is interesting -- i think that pete domenici, a junior, is running ain the republican gubernatorial primary but has gubernatorial primary but has not been able to pick up steam. many people think that the county district attorney will run away with the republican primary victory today. host: alabama and mississippi are along the gulf coast, as we continue to monitor the situation in that part of the country, what impact do you think the bp oil spill will have in these statewide races, if any? guest: it is hard to say, but one thing you want to loo

riley, and he was pitching a complete fit to the president, saying, you said all the boom from alabamats ving to mobile, and he is telling the president, you've left us defenseless. >> the coast is full of navy boom, and we don't have enough containment. >> i am t defending them, i am just telling you it is a big coast. >> you got marshland in louisiana that you cannot clean up. but when you talk about the beach, it is a different story. we can claim the beach. they can skim biloxi beach. but the areas where we have, if you can go in and did that. >> do we know how many miles it would take to block all the marshlands in louisiana? what is it? >> 21 miles. >> if we stop it right at the coastline. >> ande should focus on that and get that done. >> some of the fisherman, they use their resources recently to put boom out. and that is part of what we don't see that and our area. when they talk about clinton, they're talking about training and not doing it. they're talking about laying people off that had been putting them out, to bring in people from outside with vessels. >> vit that would

an executive order establishing this national commission and i am pleased that bob grant and bill rileyto be their coat chair persons. bob grant represented florida in the senate for almost two decades. he earned a good reputation as a champion of the informant, leading the most extensive environmental protection in the state history. bill is chairman of the world wildlife fund. he is also deeply knowledgeable to the oil and gas industry. he was the epa administrator during the first bush administration serving during the exxon valdez disaster. i cannot think of two people who will bring greater experience or judgment to this task. i personally want to thank both of them for taking on this arduous assignment and demonstrated a great sense of duty to this country. very soon, i will appoint five other distinguished americans to join them. they will work alongside other ongoing reviews including an independent examination by the national academy of engineers. i have authorized the commission to hold public hearings and request information from government, not-for-profit organizations, and

governor riley understands it. he has been a regular presence on our daily calls of the relentless advocate for alabama, and we are absolutely committed to do everything in our power to protect the gulf way of life for our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. everybody here has had experience dealing with disasters. as we were flying over, you could see the footprints of buildings that had been decimated from katrina, but in some ways what we are dealing with is unique, because it is not simply one catastrophic event. it is an ongoing assaull whose movements are constantly changing. that is what makes this so challenging. it has to be constantly watched. it has to be tracked. we are constantly having to redeploy to make sure they are having maximum impact, and we need to make sure we are constantly helping folks who have been hurt, even as we are stopping the oil from spreading into more areas. that means this response effort has to happen on a bunch of different tracks. it means containing as much a

at the request of co-chair william riley there is a 66-member expert panel led by robert bee that will serve as a consultant to the commission. these technical experts are critical to sorting through all of the information that's presented and the commission is required to draw on the technical analysis that the national association of engineering is currently performing. i just want to add that congress is also providing oversight on the efforts to contain the spill and to mitigate the devastation. there are thorough investigations into what led to this tragedy with dozens of house hearings in the past two weeks alone, in order to hold responsible parties accountable as well to inform what changes must be made so it never happens again. although republican leaders have scoffed at these efforts, democrats will continue to provide the necessary oversight to hold responsible parties accountable and to ensure that every member is taken to ensure that a disaster like this never occurs again. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gent

that is why governor riley and theeother coast governors have been working with my administration seven days a week since this at disaster occurred. we will be working with state and ocal officials on every front, from containing as much oil as possible to protecting ourrcoast, until we put this tragic ordeal behind s. i cannot promise here that the oil will be cleaned up overnight. it ill not be. it will take time for things tt return to normal. there will be harrful effects. a lot of fooks. -pfolks will be frustrated and some folks will be angry. but i promise you this. things are going to return to normal. this region has known a lot of hardship. april bounceback just as it has bounced back before. -- it has bounced back just as it has bounced back before. in the end, i am confident that we will be able to leave the gulf coast in better shape than it was before. governor rrley, high-pressure it all of your efforts. to all of the local officials who have been working so hard, we appreciate you. let me give you one last comment about our coast guard and about+ our national incident coo

governor riley has really stepped up and started helping -pus a lot. bp's part of this whole thing is -- the preparation on dauphin island has actually been pretty strong. we have a lot of community meesures that have been put in place. we have productive sand barriers that were built. we had the national guard to come in and put containment system on the water's edge on the north side of the island. we have had several firms -- booms that have been put in all the way around. there has been more preparation. last week, we had our first tar palls hit. we're now into tar patties and the connections of those. we have not seen the devastation in the marshes that others have seen. we have our estuaries and oystering and things around us, but it has not impacted us quite get like it has there. we know it is coming. we know it is at pensacoll beach. we know the sheen is within 1 mile offshore. there has been significant odor at times. the quality of life has, not+ only for those who live there on the island such as myself, but for anyone who would want to com