if you contrast that to a sandy beach, you can clean a sandy beach very quickly. the idea of going in in getting a quick -- getting people to understand that just cleaning up oil is not just about going in scooping it up. there is a loo of expert work that needs to go into working out how to do it. >> there are a lot offfolks looking at a lot of data. they are looking at health risks to responders. in ann situation where you have+ a response and a lot of people moving fast, there is an element of risk. that is true on the land, and out at sea. there are a lot of folks devoted to looking at all data, looking at how the cruise or ooerating and doing business, and out in the response area, and making sure that everybody is safe and that we continue did it -- drink the mission. crew and responder held ii paramount and needs to be effective. -- crew and responder health. >> we are feeding between 7005850 people three times a day. among the services we offer our paundry service -- people are staying at hotels and motels all around that area, and you can drop your laundr

if you contrast that to a sandy beach, you can clean a sandy beach very quickly. the idea of going and getting a quick, holds harm.3 that it is about cceaning up oi+ is not just all. tic o>> this is a lot of people lookiig at a lot of data. they are analyzing healthhrisks to the crews, responders. any health concerns sste wide. in any sstuation where you have a response and moving people fast you have an element of risk. that is true on the llnd, and you take that out at sea and you have a tenfold risk factor. there isn't a lot of people devoted to looking at the data are operating. making sure everyone is safe and we ontinue during the mission. the crew health and responder help is paramount to conninue to be effective. >> this is our cafeteria. we'd be between 7005850 people per day three times per day. -- we feed between 750 and 850 peopleeper day three times per day. we offer laundry service. and ou can drop your laundry off 24 hours per day. as long s you get it here before 8:00 on any given day you can pick it up around o'clock. right now we have full-time m

>> it's interesting because my comedian friends are saying, are you going to go for sandy bullock?he comedy isn't making fun of sandra bullock, the comedy is the mistress, bombshell. i don't think that's her baptismal name, i think she made that up. and the nazi hat. that's the comedy. and he's the comedy, with that picture, with this business. and when he goes on "nightline" and says maybe it was funny at a party. you know what? bad answer. maybe you should have been coached better by your attorneys. >> larry: what about justin beaver? >> are you a believer? >> larry: am i a believer in beaver? >> yes. do you have a crush on him? >> larry: name one hit song. >> girl you're looking fine today. all right. fine. unleash the beaver army on me. but you know he has like -- i think he has more followers than you on twitter. >> larry: i would not be surprised. >> i'm sure. will you please follow me at kathy griffin? >> larry: we do follow you. do you follow me? >> no, i'm too big. that's right. by the way, how simpler is this moment when you were in the white house talking to obama and th

. >> thank you, sandy. now are salutatorian. -- and now our salutatorian. >> [unintelligible] >> good evening, class of 2010, family members, educators, president barack obama -- thank you again for coming. secretary arne duncan, governor jennifer granholm, and superintendent, thank you. this is truly a glorious and momentous day. this is the day mr. washington proudly referred to me when i was a freshman, a day when we could celebrate working together to face tremendous challenges and accomplishment the things. -- many think. president obama, i am proud to welcome you to the celebration, one that comes at the end of one distinguished journey and the beginning of the next. at this moment, the class of 2010 comes together at a critical point in our lives. we have a decision to make that no one can decide for us, no parents, no teachers, not even president obama. [laughter] it is our choice now. throughout these four years we have surpassed goals and reach new heights only accomplice to the inspiration of oth

>> it's interesting because my comedian friends are going are you going to go for sandy bullock? to me that's not the comedy. the comedy isn't making fun of sandra bullock, the comedy is the mistress with the swastika tattoo whose middle name is bombshell, which i don't think is her baptismal name. i think she made that up. and the nazi hat. that's the comedy. >> larry: and he is not the comedy? >> oh, he's the comedy, with this business. and then when he goes on "nightline" and says maybe it was funny at a party. you know what? bad answer. maybe you should have been coached better by your attorneys. >> larry: what about justin bieber? why do we care? he is a nice kid. i met him one. >> are you a belieber? >> larry: am i a believer in bieber? >> yes. >> larry: name one hit song. >> girl you're looking fine today. all right, fine. unleash the bieber army on me. but you know he has like a million -- i think he has more followers than you on twitter. >> larry: i would not be surprised. >> i'm sure. will you please follow me at kathy griffin? we do follow you. do you follow me? >> no

on a sandy beach, you can clean it very quickly. the idea that there is go in and get a quick, it absolutely holds true. just cleaning up the oil is not going in and scooping it up. there is a lot of expert work that goes into how best to do it and which way to go. >> you can see there are a lot of folks looking at a lot of data. they are looking t health risks, responders, and they're looking at a safety and health concerns response. and in a situation where you have our response, a lot of people moving fast on short notice, and you have an element of risk. that is true on the land. you take that out into the sea, and you have a tenfold risk factor. there as all -- there are a lot that data, on how the crews are operating and how they are doing business out at the source, out within their response area, assessing that and making sure that everybody is safe and that we can continue doing that mission. the crew health and responder help it is paramount so that we can continue to be affected. -- responder health is paramount so that w

the easiest place is from a sandy beach. you take it to a certified dump and treat it as oily waste. but it is much easier to recover and remove. the best thing is to do it on the water. beach is easier to deal with than a marsh is. i am not sure what the question is. i will give you a summary of what is going on. there are reports of underwater oil plumes. the administrator has put together a large area sampling plant to send vessels out and form a consortium to get data and test the water at different depths. that is being done right now including operating in a five-mile and ten-mile radius. those vessels are starting to return to port. there are others going out. sometime in the near future they will put together a profile based on all of the data so we can understand what profile based on all of the data so we can understand what >> when we put the cap down there were four vents on the cap that allow the oil to escape. you want to keep oil in the containment cap and not let water in. when water gets in you form hydrates

we have marsh areas, sandy beaches. all different shore lines.ch of those, there are different cleaning techniques to achieve different results. recognize the shore lines we have and how to clean them. we gather that data together and get operations working to those instructions. the final part is that we have our expert folks become out in the field monitoring to make sure it's done and done welll that's how we do it. you can see exactly how it is. what i should say is all our folks are out in the field rrght now. this is a busy room at the beginning, end of the day and the night. this is thh quietest point. this is a big operation. we have about five, six, seven teams out on boats on the ground deciding where they go. who is going with them. and where they are going to go and document. that's the logistics making sure where they go at the moment. jo when they come back in the field, they are in this desk. they are set up and ready to go. everyday, all of this comes back. they've been trained in the experts of what they do. they can describe way

republican administrations, two from prior democratic administrations, and i even brought in mark sandy, john mccain's chief economic advisor, and they all five told us, me and my small leadership team, the only money left in the world is in washington, you better spend a lot of it or there's going to be a worldwide depression, and that's what the economic recovery package is all about. we had to do that. now, that is little solace to people who have lost their job, afraid they're going to lose their job, their house is upside-down, they lost their home. well, we did it, and we stopped a worldwide depression. the problem wasn't created in a day, and it won't be solved overnight, but let's talk about some of the goods that stimulus has done in just a short period of time. in nevada, in nevada, we've saved tens of thousands of jobs , 4,000 jobs in the last four months alone. is this enough? of course it's not enough. we have a lot more to do. but we're creating jobs in solar and fuel and thermal and wind all over the state. there are construction jobs going on. we got this beautiful v.a.

sandy berger stole classified documents out of the archives and shredded them. it, there is no question in my%- mind. why did he o this? please enter. guest: -- answer. guest: i wish i could enter. i am not aware of anything in the public record. on your first point, about troops in the intelligence community, i agree with you. i served in various embassies around the world, including in saigon, so i have had a long association with the military. the capabilities and education of law enforcement today is nothing short of spectacular. i agree with you on that. i agree with you as well on the integrity of our work intelligence capability. not just human capability, but all forms of intelllgence. we have a positively dedicated and brilliant work force. host: what sort of academic background makes a good analyst, intelligence officer? guest: language, knowing things about different countries. of course, the various types of technical intelligence. if you are doing nuclear non- proliferation, you have to have some technical competence to be able to make judgments. ho

[applause] >> a sandy beach is easier to clean-up and then a marsh. we're trying to figure out where we could pick up that oil. >> thinking about the hurricane season. >> what will this have read what bearing will this have on the hurricane season? >> my name is tim davis. i am part of health and human services. >> what are you doing in the gulf area? >> we are here as a part of the medical element. we are organizing, or establishing the policies for the care of primarily the occupational workers better dealing with the clean-up. >> ok. >> i am waiting for the next class. >> if you want to sign a contract, you have to call this number. they will tell you how to get a contract. you will sign a contract directly with bp. >> this is supposedly bp that i signed with. >> imi biologist with noaa. i am here to answer questions that people might have about the biological and pecked. >> we spoke with some fishermen yesterday. many are concerned with their wild life. >> people ask about that. i fall back on a historical spill. there was if not -- a spill in 197

it's going to be in all kinds of marsh lands and wetlands and on sandy beaches and you can't pick it up with skimmers. effectively you can't boom it all off. the only real interesting proposal i've seen th with regards of save these wetlands is the state of louisiana to build these sand -- out out of promise. but history teaches us once the oil is spilled, you're not picking it up. host: remember canneine you're on for brian o'neal. caller: hello? hi. i read something the other day, jay pepper asked o'bama at some press conference that there was some 17 countries that offered to help with the cleanup and o'bama only accepted mexics help and norwa -- other countries had started to help with backings, why would we not accept any help to start cleaning this up? or is it even possible to start vacuuming up some oil before it keeps spreading any further? guest: well, a couple of comments. first of all, you can't just go out there and vacuum up the oil. some of it is under water. some of it is in a high-energy environment. and it covers such a huge area, that it's sort of like throwing a d

. >> next question is from sandy davis. >> thank you for taking my call. first of all, we didn't get a copy of the charts. will you be putting those up on the website later today? >> sure. would be happy to do that. >> why is the second relief well going so slow? >> well, they didn't start at the same time. the second relief well started several weeks afterwards. also, the second relief well -- the second relief drilling rig had a blow youft preventer on it that they had intended to use after top kill if they were going to cap the well. they decided not to use a blowout preventer because of the uncertainty regarding the status of the well bore and the pressure. that's why they abandoned the top kill. during that time when they were doing the top kill exercise, the developmenter two moved off. the lower riser package should we need to do that. that didn't happen. they continued to drill. they are the risk mitigator for the first relief well. >> next question is from richard of "los angeles times." >> admiral allen, can you talk a little bit about the worst-

it is easier to plan oil that comes up on a sandy beach rather than when it comes up to the wetlands. would agree with that? >> it is easier to cle ioff the sand. >> as far as how this would affect our wildlife going forward, has there ever been a case where we have seen the in addition of an estuary like this and if so, how long does it take after the cleanup for wildlife to come back? >> it all depends on the type of oil and how long the innovation is. takes me ores it less time. in alaska, it takes longer. the colder climate. >> whawould you like toell the rest of the nation that is watching on c-spanight now as a scientist about what you have seen? alert them on where we are going forward in terms of not only trying to clean this up but to protect our wetlands and the wildlife that in a lot of cases is living there during this time? >>his is an amazing ecostem. we must restore it and restore the process is and make it more resilience. >> why is it important? we have been told that this is the fisheries for the entire gulf of mexico. many species start off in the wetlands of louisi

it is easier to plan oil that comes up on a sandy beach rather than when it comes up to the wetlands. you would agree with that? >> it is easier to clean it off the sand. >> as far as how this would affect our wildlife going forward, has there ever been a case where we have seen the in addition of an estuary like this and if so, how long does it take after the cleanup for wildlife to come back? >> it all depends on the type of oil and how long the innovation is. takes more ors it less time. in alaska, it takes longer. the colder climate. >> what would you like to tell the rest of the nation that is watching on c-span right now as a scientist about what you have seen? alert them on where we are going forward in terms of not only trying to clean this up but to protect our wetlands and the wildlife that in a lot of cases is living there during this time? >> this is an amazing ecosystem. we must restore it and restore the process is and make it more resilience. >> why is it important? we have been told that this is the fisheries for the entire gulf of mexico. many species start off in the

it's going to be in all kinds of marsh lands andetlands and on sandy beaches and you can't pick it up with skimmers. effectively you c't boom it all off. the only real interesting proposal i've seen with with regards of save these wetlands is the state of louisiana to build these sand -- out out of prome. but history teaches us once the oil is spilled, you're not picking it up. host: remember canne line you're on for brian o'neal. caller: hello? hi. i read something the other day, jay pepper asked o'bama at some press conference that there was some 17 countries that offered to help with the cleanup and o'bama only accepted mexico's help and norway -- other countries had started to help with backings, why would we not accept any help to start cleaning this up? ors it even possible to start vacuuming upome oil before it eps spreading any further? guest: well, a couple of comments. first of all, you can't just go out there and vacuum up the oil. some of it is under water. some of it is in a high-energy environmen and it covers such a huge area, that it's sort of like throwing a dart at t

the easiest place is on the sandy beach. it is much easier to recover and remove. the best and is to do it on the water. -- the best thing is to do it on the water. if we have to do it on land, it is easier to do it on the beach, that in the marshland. >> they say -- [inaudible] after a week of tests. can yoyou comment on that? >> there have been some anecdotal reports of underwater oil booms. -- plumes. the administrator of noaa has put together a large area sampling plan to form a consortium with universities in the area to get data from different areas and test the hydrocarbons in the water at different depths. it is being done right now within a five and 10 mile radius of the oil platforms and a place for the recovery is going on. -- place where the recovery is going on. those vessels are returning to port. others are going out. i do not want to put a timeline on it, but they will be putting together a profile based on all of that data so we can understand the picture for the entire gulf area and what kind of hydrocarbons are present and where they come up. the

[applause] >> a sandy beach is an easier area to clean up then, for example, a marsh. you try to pick up the area -- the oil so that it will not refloat into the area. >> what if a hurricane comes in and there is always oil? >> right. >> i work with the department of human services. we are here as a medical element. we are organizing in establishing the policies for the care of primarily the occupational workers better down here cleaning up on shore and inland. -- that are down here cleaning up on shore and englaninland. >> if you want to sign a contract you have got to call this number and they will tell you how to get a contract. and you will sign this directly with bp. u>> i am a biologist with 's emergency first response system and i'm here to answer questions that people have about the biological impact of this oil release. >> we spoke to many fishermen and they are concerned about their way of life. >> people do ask about that and i fall back on an historical example. there was a spill in 1979 and there was also ways of service will release that went on for nine

it's going to be in all kinds of marsh lands and wetlands and on sandy beaches and you can't pick it up with skimmers. effectively you can't boom it all off. real interesting proposal i've seen with with gards of save the wetlands is the state of louisiana to build these sand -- out out of promise. but history teaches us once the oil is spilled, you're not picking it up. host: remember canne line you're on for brian o'neal. caller: hello? hi. i read something the other day, jay pepper asked o'bama at some press conference that there was some 17 countries that offered to help with the cleup and bama only accepted mexico's help and norway -- other countries had started to help ngs, why would we not accept any help t start cleaning this up? or is it even possible to start vacuuming some oil before it eading any further? guest: well, aouple of . mments first of all, you can't just go out there and vacuum up the oil. some of it is under water. some of it is in a high-energy environment. and it covs such a huge area, that it's sort of like throwing of a athe side football stadium. so that'

and what you might do for a sandy beach would be different from what you do for a marsh or a mud flat. developing recommendations based on the type of shoreline, they will go out and spend cleanup crews based on the stage of this bill. but one of the hard things about this particular spill is we are still in stage one. shoreline's continue to get oil. you might go into a marsh, into marshes, you might go up to the area around the marsh where there is a pool of oil and bring it out to shallow water skimming. that is pretty much what they do. and the third stage that comes from the day that is what you do with long-term radiation of the marsh. typically it goes on for as long as there is oil. then you move into what they call the cleanup. what does that habitat need to have done so that it meets the end points and goes back to the way that it was prior or significantly similar to the way it was before this bill -- before the spill. >> "washington journal" continues. host: deborah gordon is a former regulatory and environmental engineer for chevron. you wrote a piece in "the washington p

what you do for a sandy beach would be different from what you do for a marsh.e develop recommendations based on the type of shoreline. we send out cleanup crews based on the stage we are in these bills. the harsh things about this particular spill is that we are in stage one. they have not been contained. they continue to get oil. in the second stage, it is the bulk oil removal. you may go up to the area around a marcia where there is oil and bring it out through shallow water skimming. the third stage is what do you do for the long term mediation of the march? this will go on for as long as there is oil, and then you go into the cleanup and points. what does the habitat need to have so that it meets those end points and is back to the way it was either prior or similar to the way it was before the spill. "washington journal" continues. host: joining us from that gingrich, louisiana is a lieutenant, a retired general -- rouge,l louisiana a retired general. he has joined us to give us insight and perspective on the response of bp and what they need to do. he is

it's going to be in all kinds of marsh lands and wetlands and on sandy beaches and you can't pick it up with skimmers. effectively you can't boom it all off. the only real interesting proposal i've seen with with regards of save these wetlands is the state of louisiana to build these sand -- out out of promise. but history teaches us once the oil is spilled, you're not picking it up. host: remember canne line you're on for brian o'neal. caller: hello? hi. i read something the other day, jay pepper asked o'bama at some press conference that there was some 17 countries that offered to help with the cleanup and o'bama only accepted mexico's help and norway -- other countries had started to help with backings, why would we not accept any help to start cleaning this up? or is it even possible to start vacuuming up some oil before it keeps spreading any further? guest: well, a couple of comments. first of all, you can't just go out there and vacuum up the oil. some of it is under water. some of it is in a high-energy environment. and it covers such a huge area, that it's sort of like throw

the only way to catch that is to be able to build this sam's burn and catch the oil as it hits the sandyt it would be easier than when it attaches to the plants. the second thing i would implore you to do is to come to new orleans. [no audio] people thought that the louisiana seafood was tainted. the department of wildlife and fisheries has been proactive and closing off areas around the state before there is any oil inundating those areas of those fisherres. we have been very proactive to make sure that louisiana seafood is safe. many people believe you can see and smell the oil in new orleans. you cannot. [no audio] >> we lost our signal live from new orleans. we are looking at a live picture being sent by a bp, seeing the oil plan come out. it was written that the obama administration is taking steps to distance itself from the pay periods attorney general are calder has been sent to the gulf coast. he is meeting with local prosecutors. the environmental calamity might become subject of a criminal investigation we will continue to watch that scene from the gulf of mexico. [no audio] [

the last -- in the last three or four weeks, the scientists from the united states of america, from sandyfrom livermore and from san alamos and t geological survey, the department of defense experts are assembled there making sure that the best minds are beingrought t focus in on the problem. and that's at the direction of the president. let me comment just then on two of the issues and know that the committee will have many questions on these matters. and first, deputy secretary david hays has been invold on this effort and now i think we entered day 51 or 52 nonstop like the rest of us, we're relentless. we haven't taken a day off from the beginning and we'll continue to this same level until we get this problem under control and figure out the future with respect to oil and gas in the outer continental shelf. steve black who is the secretary to the counselor has been involved in all the energy issues at the department of interior and was one of the key that was submitted to the president at his direction. and so he may have answers to some of the questio with respect to the safety repo

the hardest play to pick up oil is in a marsh or wetland, the easiest place is from a sandy beach becauseou merely remove it and take it to a certified dump and treat it as oily waste. but it's much easier to recover and remove the best thing is do it on the water. but if you have to deal with it on a land, a beach is easier to deal with than a marshland. >> [inaudible] they have improved -- after a week of test. >> i'm not sure what the question is but i'll give you a summary. there have been some reports of underwater oil plumes. the administrator of noaa has put together a large area sampleling plan to send vessels out and form a consort ym with the universities in the area to get data and test the higher carbons in the water column. that's being done right now including operating within a five-and ten-mile radius around the oil platforms and the place where the recovery is going on. those are starting to return to port. there are others going out. sometime in the near future they're going to put together a profile based on the data so we can understand what the picture looks like for

the easiest place is on the sandy beach. it is much easier to recover and remove. the best and is to do it on the water. if we have to do it on land, it is easier to do it on the beach, that in the marshland. >> they say -- [inaudible] >> there have been some anecdotal reports of underwater oil booms. the administrator of noaa has put together a large area sampling plan to form a consortium with universities in the area to get data from different areas and test the hydrocarbons in the water at different depths. it is being done right now within a five and 10 mile radius of the oil platforms and a place for the recovery is going on. those vessels are returning to port. others are going out. i do not want to put a timeline on it, but they will be putting together a profile based on all of that data so we can understand the picture for the entire gulf area and what kind of hydrocarbons are present and where they come up. they will have a general model. >> any more questions from the room? working? >> yes, with a couple of caveat. we put it down and there were four ven

hostt there is the oil in the form of large balls that starts to melt on the white, sandy beaches you referred to. >> yes, we have told that once it hits the stands, it is actually easy to clean up. but if it starts coming to shore, and it keeps coming, and pi could get inside our base. we do have an active commercial oyster fishery in pensacolaa we have a lot of shrimp in the3 we're very concerned about what happens when it gets inside the bay. host: what is the long-term impact that yoo will be seeing in pensacola and along the coast? guest: we have just been recovering from hurricane ivan. this seemed like the first season that it really turned out. we have some new hotels open. everyone seemed to be aving a good situation. restaurants and hotels were to a halt. it is haad to overstate it. it just kills everything. tourists do not come to the beach to see oil on it. it issreally bad. it is like putting on the brakes. host: secretary ken salazar, what job do you think he is not doing as secretary, and more specifically, mms, which has gone through a transformation since the spill? >

[applause] >> sandy beaches are very easier to clean up the end of march. we want -- to clean up the ban on march -- t march --han a -- than a marsh. what if a hurricane was out there any doubt that oil? >> part of health and human services. what are we doing in the gulf area? we're part of the unified command, organizing the policies for the care of the occupational worker down here dealing with cleanup, offshore and onshore aad and lend -- inland. >> [inaudible] if you want to sign the contract, and you have to call this number in the what you have to get a contract and signed a contract directly with bp. g.>> i am a biologist with response and i'm here to answer questions that people may have about the biological impact associated with this oil. >> we talked to some fisherman after day and many of them are concerned about their way of life. >> people to ask about that. i fall back on a historical spill in 1979, called the ixtac. it went on for 10 months, and spelled out 140 million gallons of oil into the gulf of mexico. then the relief well was in place