On top of things from day 1?

I don't think so...

The key paragraphs to this administrations finger pointing about the mess are about half-way through the post... (with media link)

In 1994, the US Government developed its own plan (the “In Situ Burn Plan”) to contain spills through the use of devices called fire booms. Like so many government plans, this proved to be a thick document that at some point was much-heralded, and then put on a shelf to collect dust. The plan called for the immediate use of firebooms, as a first response, to contain a spill. These firebooms can burn off 75,000 gallons of oil per hour, enough to have probably contained the spill to its current location.

Unfortunately, 16 years after the recommendation was made, the federal government did not own a single fire boom.

Eight days later, they were able to locate one for sale in Illinois. Several were eventually ordered from South America.

Day one, huh?    



Just how important are those in-situ booms?

A single fire boom being towed by two boats can burn up to 1,800 barrels of oil an hour, Bohleber said. That translates to 75,000 gallons an hour, raising the possibility that the spill could have been contained at the accident scene 100 miles from shore. 

So the govt had a plan in place that could have contained the spill, but somehow the equipment (already authorized) wasn't there.

But it gets even more interesting... the gentlemen that sent Illinois' boom made some interesting remarks about what federal officials informed him about the wait.   Again, this is one of those paragraphs that make you wonder just who was "working on Day one?"

"They [federal govt officials] said this was the tool of last resort. No, this is absolutely the asset of first use. Get in there and start burning oil before the spill gets out of hand," Bohleber said. "If they had six or seven of these systems in place when this happened and got out there and started burning, it would have significantly lessened the amount of oil that got loose."

And then the Coast Guard goes into CYA mode..

In the days after the rig sank, U.S Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry said the government had all the assets it needed. She did not discuss why officials waited more than a week to conduct a test burn

Uhm...  it did?   It seems that a few companies in Illinois and now South America would disagree with you?

Day 1 indeed...