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Tar Balls Hit Fla. Beaches as Obama Returns to Gulf

Residents plan 'last swim' before more oil arrives

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 4, 2010 3:45 PM CDT

(Newser) – Beachgoers in Florida got their first taste of the Gulf oil spill today as tar balls—some as large as hubcaps—washed up on Panhandle beaches. BP crews at some locations swept up the refuse, instructing visitors not to touch the balls. Although Florida has yet to declare swimming in the Gulf unsafe, some locals are rushing to the beaches to take a "last swim," the Pensacola News Journal reports. Meanwhile, President Obama arrived in New Orleans for his third visit since the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20.

Obama blasted BP for spending money on a PR campaign and said it's "way too early to be optimistic" about the latest attempt to contain the oil gushing from the floor of the Gulf. BP managed to cover the ruptured well with an upside-down funnel, but oil is still rushing out of vents cut into the funnel. Engineers will be closing the vents one by one today in an attempt to stem the flow of oil.
A map of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response is seen behind President Obama as he makes a statement after being briefed on relief efforts, June 4, 2010, at the New Orleans airport in Kenner, La.
A map of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response is seen behind President Obama as he makes a statement after being briefed on relief efforts, June 4, 2010, at the New Orleans airport in Kenner, La.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Holter Buelt, right, of Germany stands on the beach at the Gulf Islands National Seashore, as workers hired by BP clean up tar balls in Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, June 4, 2010.
Holter Buelt, right, of Germany stands on the beach at the Gulf Islands National Seashore, as workers hired by BP clean up tar balls in Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, June 4, 2010.   (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Holter Buelt of Germany stands on the beach as workers hired by BP clean up tar balls in Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, June 4, 2010. Oil has started washing ashore on Alabama and Florida beaches.
Holter Buelt of Germany stands on the beach as workers hired by BP clean up tar balls in Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, June 4, 2010. Oil has started washing ashore on Alabama and Florida beaches.   (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
A hermit crab and oil that washed ashore along the Gulf of Mexico coastline of Dauphin Island, Ala. are seen inside a boot print Tuesday June 1, 2010.
A hermit crab and oil that washed ashore along the Gulf of Mexico coastline of Dauphin Island, Ala. are seen inside a boot print Tuesday June 1, 2010.   (AP Photo/Press-Register, John David Mercer)
Heidi Hankin and Diana Walker, visitors from Lake Charles, La., take photos of oil that washed up along Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, June 4, 2010. Waves of tar blobs are increasingly washing ashore.
Heidi Hankin and Diana Walker, visitors from Lake Charles, La., take photos of oil that washed up along Pensacola Beach, Fla., Friday, June 4, 2010. Waves of tar blobs are increasingly washing ashore.   (AP Photo/Michael Spooneybarger)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 33 comments
JimW
Jun 5, 2010 2:55 PM CDT
If the government is expected to handle this, the first step should be to nationalize the oil resources.
iknoweverything
Jun 5, 2010 10:46 AM CDT
"tar balls" is going to be Obama's nickname in a few months.
thudson
Jun 5, 2010 2:13 AM CDT
Making this a partisan issue is distracting. I said the exact same thing when Katrina hit, and everyone was trying to blame someone for the devastation. In both cases, there's historical negligence that can be traced back decades. I think the President is doing what he can. If the operation were left to the Feds (no matter what side of the aisle), I don't think we'd have any more success in cleaning up this mess. BP is our common enemy. They are at fault, and I can't imagine any reason to get more creative with blame unless you're politically motivated and small-minded enough to point the finger at Regan, Bush, Clinton, G.W. Bush or Obama. What if this were a foreign country and a bomb, instead of a historically negligent foreign oil company and their shoddy oil rig? I'm glad he's heading down there. Of course it's a photo-op, but everyone knows that a visit from the President of the United States is important to the people in that area, if for no other reason than to serve as a morale boost.
US • Money • Science

 
Florida • beach • Gulf of Mexico • Gulf Coast • environmental damage • President Obama • British Petroleum • Deepwater Horizon • Gulf oil spill • tar balls • Florida Panhandle

 
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