Relief Wells Update – The Development Driller III, drilling the first relief well, has drilled ahead to 17,780 feet and completed its ninth “ranging” run. The rig plans to drill ahead to 17,830 feet and perform a 10th ranging run. Ranging uses magnetic signals to precisely locate the steel casing in the Macondo well bore. A video overview on the progress of the relief wells and an explanation of the bottom kill procedure is available on the BP website at: http://bp.concerts.com/gom/kwellsreliefwells062710.htm.

In addition, BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells provides technical updates on the installation sequence of the new sealing cap and discusses the status of the Helix Producer containment option as well as progress with relief wells on the BP website at:

Sealing Cap Installation Overview with Kent Wells (video)
Sealing Cap Installation Animation with Kent Wells (animation)
3 Ram Capping Stack Construction and Testing - Doug Suttles and team (video)

Claims Update – BP has now posted all claims statistics on its website at: http://www.bp.com//sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9034294&contentId=7063267. The information, which is updated daily, includes county statistics, response times, personnel deployed, amounts paid, individual and business claims statistics including reasons for claims, and more.

Enhancements to Vessels of Opportunity (VOO) Program – New operational characteristics developed by the U.S. Coast Guard and BP represent existing best practices and improvements suggested by program participants. Through these modifications, the program will more effectively deploy boats to oil recovery activity and better utilize local commercial and charter fishing vessels to advance the effectiveness of the Gulf of Mexico response. The VOO program employs local commercial fishing vessels to assist in the company's response in the Gulf of Mexico and currently has more than 3,000 vessels activated for duty across four states - Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Link to Press Release: http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7063470

RestoretheGulf.gov

This website provides the public with information on the response, current operations, news and updates, how to file a claim and obtain other assistance, and links to federal, state and local partners.

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BP St. Tammany Outreach and Claims Center

British Petroleum’s St. Tammany Outreach and Claims Center has joined with the East St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce to help assist the businesses and citizens of our community.

The Outreach and Claims Center is open daily, 8AM - 7PM, to accept claims and answer questions. The center is located at 2040 E. Gause Blvd in Slidell.

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East St. Tammany Chamber was one of the first Chambers to support The Gulf Economic Survival Team (GEST) in spreading the word asking for support.

GEST has been formed under the leadership of Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Scott Angelle at the request of Governor Bobby Jindal. The team's message is simple: The Administration's May 28th order, suspending all existing offshore drilling in depths greater than 500 feet for a minimum of six months, will cause irreparable harm to Louisiana's energy service industry and drive a stake through the heart of coastal communities already suffering tremendously from the environmental and economic impacts of the BP oil spill.
 
For more information or to get involved in our effort to preserve the economic stability of the Gulf Coast, and thousands of jobs in our region, click here for the GEST website.  We urge you to join our campaign to insist the White House and U.S. Department of Interior shorten a six-month moratorium on offshore drilling that will have a devastating effect on Louisiana's families, businesses, and local and state economies.
 
The Petition:
The offshore drilling moratorium will be devastating to our Gulf Coast region, where hundreds of thousands of residents work in jobs that service the oil and gas industry. The impacts we are suffering from the BP oil spill are bad enough; the moratorium will cause massive layoffs and cripple our economies like never seen before, and we will likely feel the impact for years. Please act quickly to institute offshore safeguards, reduce the drilling moratorium to 30 days, and get us working again to fuel this nation!
Click Here to Sign the Petition.

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St. Tammany Parish Updates

St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis is updating the Parish Website daily with the effects of the oil spill on St. Tammany Parish including Air Quality reports.
 
Click here for the St. Tammany Parish Website.

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Deepwater Horizon Incident
Joint Information Center
Phone: (713) 323-1670
(713) 323-1671

Key contact numbers:

• Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816
• Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
• Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (866) 279-7983 or (877) 847-7470
• Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858

 Resources:

• For information about the response effort, visit www.restorethegulf.gov
• For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.
• To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (713) 323-1670.
• To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities can also be found here.
• To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call (281) 366-5511.
• To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401.
• For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.
• For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.
• For Fish and Wildlife Service updates about response along the Gulf Coast and the status of national wildlife refuges, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/dhoilspill/.
• For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
• For information on assistance loans for affected businesses, visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance, call (800) 659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired), or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
• To file a claim with BP, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at (800) 440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.  More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here.
• In addition, www.disasterassistance.gov has been enhanced to provide a one-stop shop for information on how to file a claim with BP and access additional assistance—available in English and Spanish.
• Any members of the press who encounter response personnel restricting their access or violating the media access policy set forth by Admiral Allen should contact the Joint Information Center. Click here for more information, including a list of regular embed opportunities.
   
  For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.