Administration taps top Coast Guard official to lead oil spill response

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http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/95457-administration-taps-top-coast-guard-official-to-lead-oil-spill-response


Administration taps top Coast Guard official to lead oil spill response
By Michael O'Brien - 05/01/10 03:08 PM ET


The Obama administration selected a top official from the Coast Guard to oversee its respond to an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Coast Guard said that Commandant Admiral Thad Allen had been chosen by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to coordinate different agency efforts.

To aid administration efforts, the Interior Department dispatched Deputy Secretary David Hayes to the Gulf to help with efforts.

The administration and its National Response Team, "an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution incidents," have been coordinating with British Petroleum (BP), the owner of a rig which exploded in April, leading to the oil spill.

President Barack Obama will travel himself to the Gulf on Sunday morning to survey the damage.