Officials: Did BP Stage Workers for Photo Op?
Laila Morcos ABC26 News

May 28, 2010
JEFFERSON PARISH—
Jefferson Parish leaders say BP thinks they're being "slick" with oil spill clean-up. Some say they're putting on an orchestrated attempt to show they're working hard to clean up the gulf. Not everyone is believes it.

"I copied one of these and put it on my Facebook page and I said, "missing in action," says Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts. He looks at his computer and says photos on deepwaterhorizonresponse.com are almost laughable. "It's a shame to believe that people are just going to buy this line of bull that's not true," he says.

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Roberts is talking about a perceived sudden and enormous increase of personnel cleaning up in Grande Isle. "Typically we've seen about a dozen people working the beach as I've road the beaches over the last few weeks. No where near the amount of assets they placed there today temporarily."

He says it's strange how hundreds of workers showed up to clean in time for president Obama's visit. He says their work ended just as fast. "They were given clothing, they were handed rakes and shovels and basically dropped off and scattered throughout the beach and our understanding is while the presidents meeting was going on, BP had already gone back, picked all these people up and the were already leaving," says Roberts.

But Donald Nalty with Environmental Safety and Health, contracted by BP to hire the workers, says Roberts doesn't have the facts. "They were not pulled because they just got off the job at six o'clock this evening. They're working six to six." He says workers are being ramped up to address all the oiled areas. But he says workers have always been there. "We had roughly 260 people out there. We just moved it up another 400 on Grande Isle, another 100 in Fourchon, another hundred in Cocodrie," says Nalty. Still, Roberts says he's keeping a close eye on where, when and how many people are working along the coast.

Nalty says he's been here on the ground since April 20th and he says the company is still hiring workers to help clean up the spill. To apply, call 985-851-0370