Landrieu Aims to Improve Evaluation of Oil-Spill Cleanup Proposals

United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu [D-La.], chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today held a hearing to discuss the evaluation process for proposals to clean up the leaking oil in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, as well as ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the process.

The hearing -- entitled "Harnessing Small Business Innovation: Navigating the Evaluation Process for Gulf Coast Oil Cleanup Proposals" -- brought together federal witnesses from the U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] to discuss what the current process entails, and how small businesses can play a pivotal role in the Gulf Coast cleanup.

"As I have said before, after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our business owners were up to their chins in water," Sen. Landrieu said. "Now, because of this disaster, these same business owners are up to their knees in oil. We want to find out how small businesses with the technology and innovation to help clean up this oil can get those technologies and innovative ideas deployed to the Gulf of Mexico.

"The most recent data from the Flow Rate Technical Group estimates as much as 60,000 barrels of oil a day is escaping from the damaged well. With so much at stake along the Gulf Coast, small businesses with the knowledge of oil-spill cleanup can play an active role in cleaning up this disaster, and we want to make sure they have the opportunity to do that."

Testifying on the first panel for the U.S. Coast Guard was Rear Admiral Ronald J. Rábago, assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer [CAO]; and Dr. Paul T. Anastas, assistant administrator and science advisor for the EPA's Office of Research and Development [ORD].

The second panel included witnesses from businesses and universities with experience working with oil-spill cleanup -- including Oscar-winning actor and entrepreneur Kevin Costner [pictured], from Ocean Therapy Solutions LLC; Eric Smith, from Tulane University; Dan Parker, with C.I.Agent Solutions®; Heather Baird, with MicroSorb Environmental Products Inc.; and Dr. Carys Mitchelmore, from the University of Maryland.

During the hearing, the U.S. Coast Guard testified that over 1,900 proposals have been reviewed by the federal Interagency Alternative Technology Assessment Program [IATAP], and screened about 600 proposals. To date, no proposals have yet been deployed in the Gulf of Mexico, but IATAP has forwarded one proposal to Rear Admiral James A. Watson, the federal on-scene coordinator, for possible deployment in the Gulf of Mexico.

As of today, BP has received over 35,000 proposals -- with only four in the testing phase and none deployed to the Gulf of Mexico.

Chair Landrieu pressed the Coast Guard and EPA officials to improve communications with companies submitting proposals -- particularly in getting timely responses on the status of those proposals. She also encouraged the agencies to make the process more transparent, and to communicate with local Gulf Coast officials on possible credible proposals.

On the business panel, Kevin Costner, partner of Ocean Therapy Solutions LLC, testified that he has spent 15 years and $24 million of us own funds developing his company’s technology. An additional $1 million was spent adjusting the machines to prepare them for testing.

Costner indicated that his company had screened this technology for various federal agencies over the years, but they were noncommittal and did not follow up. BP is contracting with Ocean Therapy Solutions to deploy more than 30 machines into the Gulf of Mexico.

During the hearing, Sen. Landrieu made public a two-page document for small businesses that wish to submit a product or credible idea to the Unified Area Command or BP. The document includes specific instructions for submitting information, as well as information on the overall process. To view the application, visit: http://bit.ly/OilSpillCleanupApp.

To view a video of the hearing, as well as testimony from each witness, please go to: http://bit.ly/OilSpillCleanupHearing.

SOURCES: Ocean Therapy Solutions LLC [photo], U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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Al Franken Kicks Off Weeklong Statewide Tour, Offers New Solutions to Ease the Middle-Class Squeeze

This morning, U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken unveiled new common-sense solutions to ease the squeeze on Minnesota's middle class. Franken discussed his new proposals at a campaign rally that attracted hundreds of people outside the locally owned Harvest Moon Coffee House in his hometown of St. Louis Park, kicking off a week of traveling the state to contrast these common-sense solutions with the disastrous Bush-Coleman economic legacy.

"Norm Coleman wants to stay the course with the Bush economic 'plan,'" said Franken. "But that 'plan' has put Minnesota's middle class into a deep hole – and it's time to stop digging.

"The solutions I'm proposing today will help Minnesotans care for their kids and aging loved ones, balance work and family, and save for retirement. Easing the middle-class squeeze isn't just about helping those who are suffering in the Bush-Coleman Recession. It's about restoring the sense of hope and opportunity that my family enjoyed when I was growing up in St. Louis Park."

After sharing a few horror stories he's heard along the campaign trail -- e.g., one about an independent trucker who now nets just $200 per week, thanks to astronomical gas prices -- Franken offered three new proposals:
* Kitchen Table Tax Relief: A set of tax credits designed to ease the burden on families caring for children or elderly loved ones
* 21st Century Family Leave: A new family leave policy to address 21st-century family structures
* The 401[U]: A revolutionary new type of retirement account to help every Minnesotan develop long-term financial security

More details on these proposals is available at www.alfranken.com/easethesqueeze.

Franken's next stops on this week's statewide tour include the following:
* July 22, 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.: Duluth -- Beaner's Central Concert Coffeehouse, 324 N. Central Avenue
* July 22, 3:00 - 3:30 p.m.: Cambridge -- DFL Offices, 237 2nd Avenue SW
* July 23, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Rochester -- Rochester Labor Center, 11 4th Street SE
* July 23, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.: Burnsville -- Ironwood Electronics, 11351 Rupp Drive, Suite 400
* July 24, 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.: St. Cloud -- Mississippi Bean & Tea Co., 819 W. Germain St.

GoodBiz113's take: Skol to you, Al Franken! Your innovative proposals deserve serious consideration and buy-in by citizen-voters, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and current and would-be elected officials at all levels of government. The very fact that you chose a small business from which to announce these solutions to help lift the beleaguered middle class, speaks volumes about your purely good intentions and actionable ideas for much-needed change. Minnesotans are fortunate that you're willing to represent them in the U.S. Senate.

SOURCE: Al Franken for Senate
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