Administration Heeds Menendez Request to Generate Official Long-Term Projections of Oil from BP Spill

Press Release

In June, 22 Atlantic Coast senators, led by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), requested that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration begin producing science-based, long-term projections of the direction of the oil from the BP spill, including probabilities that the oil will affect areas along the Atlantic Coast: http://menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=e9a8be66-1ade-4b5b-b807-029194f7bbe5. Today, NOAA announced that it has, in fact, begun to generate such long-term probabilities: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon/longterm_outlook.

"Coastal communities up and down the Atlantic, including many on the Jersey Shore, have raised concerns over the BP spill getting caught in the Loop Current and affecting the East Coast," said Menendez. "Science-based probabilities like these help these communities understand the current threat of oil reaching their shores and will help ensure full preparedness. As NOAA told me in a briefing this week, severe weather, such as a hurricane, has the chance to change the course of the spill, which is why these projections need to be routinely updated. I applaud the administration for acting on our request and equipping our Atlantic Coast communities with important information."

Earlier this week, Menendez convened a meeting of Coast Guard and NOAA officials and other members of the New Jersey congressional delegation to receive an update on predictions for the spill and preparedness: http://menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=64c27dbb-0125-4e5b-9aa2-a2746e205e9f.

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