Why Isn’t That Maine Boom Being Deployed to the Gulf?
EmailAs the oil spill crisis has worsened, members of the public and media have seized upon various ways the government could be doing more to either plug the hole or alleviate the environmental damage.
One such story has described boom manufactured by an Auburn, Maine, packaging company called Packgen that’s been sitting in storage waiting to be delivered to the Gulf. Four weeks ago, in four days, Packgen manufactured 80,000 feet of boom, though neither the government nor BP had placed any orders for boom with his company.
John Lapoint III, the president of Packgen, told me Friday that a BP inspector visited his plant two weeks before, and was with him that day, and he didn’t understand why the holdup, given the need for boom.
“We have the capacity to manufacture 42,000 feet of boom per day,” Lapoint told me. “I figured they would need thousands of miles of boom given the magnitude of what’s going on in the Gulf.” He said he has enough raw materials to make half a million feet of boom.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, has expressed frustration at BP taking its time to make assess the boom.
When I mentioned, in vague terms, Lapoint’s frustration, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen asked me to give him the information, which I did.
Over the weekend, Capt. Ron LaBrec from Coast Guard Public Affairs told me that according to a BP quality control inspector the PackGen boom did not pass an initial quality control test.
“Boom is subjected to great wear and tear when placed in the water and must be frequently tended,” LaBrec told me. “In order to retain its effectiveness boom must be of high quality. Once Packgen's boom passes inspection, the company can be considered as a source for supplying boom.”
LaBrec noted that in the meantime, “suitable boom is being identified and obtained quickly” with 459,000 feet of boom stored in the region in addition to the 2.24 million feet deployed.
So what was wrong with the PackGen boom?
“There were concerns with material and end connectors,” LaBrec said. “BP has inspectors who visit facilities and regularly test boom. In addition to testing boom from new suppliers, boom from existing manufacturers is also tested/inspected. The Coast Guard also inspects boom that we purchase from suppliers. It is important because poorly designed boom may not work as intended.”
Lapoint said the boom “not only meets” standards, “it exceeds it.”
“The only issue was the end connectors,” Lapoint said. So, he said, “we changed it to the universal connector, so there shouldn’t be any problems at all.”
But he remains frustrated. “I had two engineers go down to the Gulf. I was told it had to be the universal connector. I can’t tell you the miles of boom coming in from overseas that doesn’t have the universal connector.” He called the pushback against his boom “hogwash.”
There are specific standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials, an international standards organization, that test methods “to determine strength and buoyancy characteristics for boom and end connectors,” LaBrec told me. “It is the duty of a responsible party to meet the protective requirements for boom, so it is prudent for a company to test the equipment so they know it will perform as designed.” (See below for the applicable cites from ASTM.)
Lapoint said his boom passed ASTM standards “by factor of two.” He says another BP inspector was by on Friday, one who seemed more receptive to his boom.
– Jake Tapper
The applicable cites from ASTM, per the U.S. Coast Guard.
(1) F1093-99(2007) Standard Test Methods for Tensile Strength Characteristics of Oil Spill Response Boom: These test methods cover static laboratory tests of the strength of oil spill response boom under tensile loading.
(2) F2682-07 Standard Guide for Determining the Buoyancy to Weight Ratio of Oil Spill Containment Boom: This guide describes a practical method for determining the buoyancy to weight (B/W) ratio of oil spill containment booms.
(3) F962-04 Standard Specification for Oil Spill Response Boom Connection: Z-Connector: This specification covers design criteria requirements, design geometry, material characteristics, and desirable features for oil spill response boom connections. These criteria are intended to define minimum mating characteristics and are not intended to be restrictive to a specific configuration.
(4) F2438-04 Standard Specification for Oil Spill Response Boom Connection: Slide Connector: This specification covers design criteria requirements, design geometry, material characteristics, and desirable features for oil spill response boom slide connections. These criteria are intended to define minimum mating characteristics and are not intended to be restricted to a specific configuration. It defines the geometry required to mate with typical Universal slide connectors or Specification F 962 connectors with web thickness up to 0.3 in. Some very heavy-duty or PVC connectors may exceed this dimension and not be compatible.
(5) F2084-01(2007)e1 Standard Guide for Collecting Containment Boom Performance Data in Controlled Environments: This guide covers the evaluation of the effectiveness of full-scale oil spill containment booms in a controlled test facility. It involves the use of specific test oils that may be considered hazardous materials. It is the responsibility of the user of this guide to procure and abide by the necessary permits for disposal of the used test oil.
(6) F2152-07 Standard Guide for In-Situ Burning of Spilled Oil: Fire-Resistant Boom: This guide covers a set of criteria to evaluate the performance, material characteristics, and essential features of fire-resistant oil spill containment boom. It covers two types of fire-resistant oil containment boom: those that are intrinsically fire-resistant through the use of fire-resistant materials, and those that provide fire-resistance through the use of coolants. It is one of four related to in-situ burning of oil spills. Guide F 1788 addresses environmental and operational considerations, Guide F 1990 addresses ignition devices, and Guide F 2230 addresses burning in ice conditions.
Gulf of Mexico to Become Gulf of America? 
Can Mitt Romney Win Conservatives Back?
Because this Administration is full of idiots?
Posted by: Concerned in OH | June 13, 2010, 8:29 pm 8:29 pm
Jake- Good story about the boom delay. It’s totally frustrating that it’s just sitting there, waiting to be shipped. As a former member of the Coast Guard, I will defer to their assessment that the boom did not meet a standard. It seems that the company is willing and able to make the changes, so hopefully, it will be on scene soon. The last thing the Gulf needs(never mind the Coast Guard or BP) is further damage from sub-standard materials. I can see the headlines now…
Posted by: Ellen Rossano | June 13, 2010, 8:40 pm 8:40 pm
This is payback for the Health Care vote, where Snowe and Collins voted against The One. Democrats are nothing if not politically vindictive
Posted by: Michael Gersh | June 13, 2010, 8:45 pm 8:45 pm
Obama should stop worrying about BP. There are plenty of us to kick them in the rear. We already know they’re gonna pay big time.
Obama should have been doing his job since the very beginning instead of blaming everyone else.
The spill was in federal waters and no one could touch it without his authority yet he dithered and delayed until it got out of control.
He should do anything necessary now or get out of Bobby Jindal’s way. There are people who know what to do – but it doesn’t seem to be Barack Obama.
Posted by: Gulf Girl | June 13, 2010, 9:12 pm 9:12 pm
The spill was in federal waters and no one could touch it without his authority yet he dithered and delayed until it got out of control.
Gulf Girl | Jun 13, 2010 9:12:10 PM
Delayed? Response to the spill began April 22nd (go look up the papers from then). What on earth do you mean he delayed response to the spill?
Posted by: jhw539 | June 13, 2010, 9:52 pm 9:52 pm
Delayed? Yes,of course it was delayed. Look at the beaches.Look at the estuaries.”Damn fine job,Barry.” And quiet flows the oil…
Posted by: Nephron | June 13, 2010, 10:12 pm 10:12 pm
LaPointe said lost of boom was purchased overseas that also did not meet requirements for the connectors? Sounds to me like BP is trying to use international (EU) vendors before American ones…just like they are using inadequately trained volunteers in larger numbers for cleanup than HAZWOPER certified workers whom they would have to pay and comply with OSHA regs for proper protective gear (respirators: which BP has advised the few paid crews on scene not to wear because they say it’s “bad PR”) The volunteers are not being given proper training (I took BP’s so called training; it was a joke),or protective gear (tyvek suits, rubber gloves, booties, and eye-wear but no repirators), and they are signing their lives away with clauses eliminating BP’s liability for their health and that forbid them from talking to the media. BP is making a monkey out of our government on this; they never should have been given full control over the aftermath, only the responsibility of stopping the flow. This operation has been bungled on SO many levels from Day ONE.
Posted by: Mac K | June 13, 2010, 10:43 pm 10:43 pm
Delayed? Yes,of course it was delayed. Look at the beaches.Look at the estuaries.”Damn fine job,Barry.” And quiet flows the oil…
Nephron, be cool. Barry played a quick game of golf.
Posted by: Sand Trap | June 14, 2010, 12:03 am 12:03 am
I would think any boom would be better than no boom.
I am not really buying this excuse.
Posted by: sarainitaly | June 14, 2010, 5:06 am 5:06 am
I think this administration is totally incompetent. Obama has no idea what’s going on. He played golf AGAIN yesterday.
Posted by: gerry | June 14, 2010, 5:52 am 5:52 am
“He played golf AGAIN yesterday.”
He should be thinking gulf instead of golf..
Posted by: Sigmonde | June 14, 2010, 7:01 am 7:01 am
I’m confused, did “no one” inspect the boom, or did BP and the Coast Guard inspect the boom?
The time line appears to be: Maine company makes boom ‘on spec,’ no one cares/inspects it, Jake Tapper & other reporters ask CG about it, CG and BP inspects it, rejects it, and now the company with a half million feet of boom sitting in their warehouse is trying to convince us (the public) that the boom passed all inspection (that they, the company did) by a wide margin? They are are only to be trusted so far, they have a great motivation to mis-represent their product.
Finally, the foreign boom without “universal connectors” doesn’t have to be newly ordered/made boom – BP could be pulling boom from inventory at other drilling site/storage.
I think th ME packaging company took an incredible gamble and now regrets their multi-million dollar crap shoot. They seem to have assumed there was no downside to their gamble/expansion into boom industry…
Posted by: N2vip | June 14, 2010, 7:07 am 7:07 am
It is frustrating to hear about BP oil spill. I cannot believe they could not fix this problem for more than a month, just think about millions of people and animals got affected by this,
Posted by: shannonjo | June 14, 2010, 7:28 am 7:28 am
I’m confused, did “no one” inspect the boom, or did BP and the Coast Guard inspect the boom?
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I’m confused as to why fishermen haven’t strung together gill nets covered with tarpaulian and surrounded this thing. Anything to keep this mess in a central location.
Posted by: smartlillena | June 14, 2010, 8:38 am 8:38 am
“I’m confused as to why fishermen haven’t strung together gill nets covered with tarpaulian”
Government inspectors may have found that the nets and tarpaulin need a 30 day review to make sure they are environmentally safe to use.
Posted by: Sigmonde | June 14, 2010, 8:44 am 8:44 am
More excuses by the Obama administration; another cover-up for their inablility to manage a crises! God forbid we have another 9-11! Obama will probably invite the terrorist over for a round of golf to make peace. How did this hubris incompetent, delusional fool ever get elected!
Posted by: Allie F. | June 14, 2010, 9:15 am 9:15 am
Speculation – The boom was inspected and PackGen was found to not have contributed to the Democrats and not be a union shop. Hence the inspection failure.
Posted by: sandspur | June 14, 2010, 9:22 am 9:22 am
Assinine, use the boom anyway to stop the spread of oil to the coasts. This government redtape doesn’t make sense. We now see just how inept local and state politicians are in promoting commonsense solutions and local and state businesses.
Posted by: Bostinks2 | June 14, 2010, 9:28 am 9:28 am
Gosh Jake….Important information just trickles and drips out of this WH and NO ONE is calling them out! Please Please Please keep the pressure on….Ask about the Jones law….DO THE RIGHT THING FOR YOUR CHILDREN !!!!! BE BRAVE !!! This WH needs to be HELD ACCOUNTABLE ! You certainly held W to the fire, now do the same for a DEMOCRAT !!!! Americans have NEVER had to push the media to do their job before….this is just UNPRECIDENTED. *eye roll*
Posted by: mjishernameo | June 14, 2010, 9:36 am 9:36 am
Posted by: Deedee
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Tierra, have you finally done some reading? But no, that’s not exactly it, and it can/will be fixed. I’ve done it before.
Posted by: smartlillena | June 14, 2010, 10:04 am 10:04 am
Thomas Sowell wrote extensively on how process oriented institutions staffed with intelligent people make manifestly stupid decisions with the weight of consensus.
The basic problem is that the regulators job is not to see to the quality of the product, but rather for the process of regulation in and of itself.
For the boom regulators, it was a simple matter of carrying out the process of regulation. That it was manifestly stupid in light of results oriented analysis is beside the point.
Posted by: anon | June 14, 2010, 10:09 am 10:09 am
They said “you need to stay focused on the gulf” He heard “you to stay focused on your golf”..some politicians mis-speak, some mis-remember,some mis-hear…and some just miss the boat.
Posted by: cindy | June 14, 2010, 10:12 am 10:12 am
Posted by: Bostinks2
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Inspected or no, it’s too late to capture the tens of thousands of barrels this administration has spread to Hades with that dispersant nonsense. In a juvenile PR move to keep it hidden from the greenies.
Posted by: smartlillena | June 14, 2010, 10:12 am 10:12 am
This is so reminiscent of the decisions by bureaucrats during the past forest fires to delay picking up water because of endangered species regulations. The result? Four dead fire fighters.
Allowing these bureaucrats control over life and death situations is an existential hell.
Posted by: iconoclast | June 14, 2010, 10:53 am 10:53 am
Hey Jake,
Please do a story on the Obama Aministrations restriction on the media flying over and photographing the gulf.
It seems Obama is trying again to cover up his incompetence. Thanks!
Posted by: robtr | June 14, 2010, 11:00 am 11:00 am
Looks like we got some CYA lying going on here. Lame.
Posted by: Chris R | June 14, 2010, 11:03 am 11:03 am
It wasn’t a peer reviewed boom.
Posted by: Viator | June 14, 2010, 11:08 am 11:08 am
Why did the CG Admiral know nothing about the boom? Or was he faking it?
Now we get this story out…and I mean “story”.
Junior says the spill is like 9.11.01. Which it is for people on the Gulf. Then he goes on another golf outing?
I guess this means his arugula supply isn’t threatened, but you humps down south are in a world of hurt.
Is anyone trustworthy in Junior’s chain of command?
Posted by: Harry Schell | June 14, 2010, 11:30 am 11:30 am
“I’m confused as to why fishermen haven’t strung together gill nets covered with tarpaulian”
“Government inspectors may have found that the nets and tarpaulin need a 30 day review to make sure they are environmentally safe to use.”
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and don’t forget….they must have Universal Connector’s too!!
Incompetence at it’s finest. You voted for them (Him) America…whatcha gonna do then there now?!?
Posted by: JimmyTL | June 14, 2010, 11:31 am 11:31 am
The people from BP who heavily funded the Obama presidential campaign are thugs, impotent, and incompetent. The face of the democratic party has all of those traits these days. Bob Etheridge has done a good job of exposing that by ripping a camera out of a college students hands and assaulting the kid.
Posted by: welldirected | June 14, 2010, 12:11 pm 12:11 pm
From what I have read, booms are not working here due to:
1. the chemical dispersants used.
2. due to depth, pressure and temp of oil coming out, it is emulsified by the time it gets to surface and not acting as true oil should..oil is going under the boom.
Posted by: T | June 14, 2010, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm
Key points-
The packgen boom could have begun shipping a month ago, with high production rate follow up ships.
The time that has thus far been squandered will prove to be more valuable than any of the procedural considerations currently being tossed around by those who are ultimately responsible for mitigating this catastrophe.
Posted by: john | June 14, 2010, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
Force BP to pay the now unemployed shrimpers and fisherman and anyone else with a boat, double the current price per barrel of oil and watch how fast oil is removed from the Gulf.
Posted by: OxyCon | June 14, 2010, 12:57 pm 12:57 pm
Key point
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TIME
wasted (and still wasting)
Posted by: smartlillena | June 14, 2010, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
Someone asked why the guy overseeing the US effort in the Gulf didn’t know why one product had been rejected for quality issues. Really? You don’t understand why the chief guy wouldn’t know the details of what specific manufacturers’ products are being used and what ones were rejected? Please!
Posted by: delldolly | June 14, 2010, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm
Here’s what the US command group says about the Packgen product. They say that there’s plenty of boom – there’s some in storage right now even.
The boom manufactured by Packgen did not pass an initial quality control test. Boom is subjected to great wear and tear when placed in the water and must be frequently tended. In order to retain its effectiveness boom must be of high quality. Once Packgen’s boom passes inspection, the company can be considered as a source for supplying boom to the largest oil spill response operation in U.S. history. In the meantime, suitable boom is being identified and obtained quickly and there is currently 459,000 feet of boom stored in the region in addition to the 2.24 million feet deployed.
Posted by: delldolly | June 14, 2010, 2:09 pm 2:09 pm
Another poster said “The people from BP who heavily funded the Obama presidential campaign are thugs, impotent, and incompetent.” But BP didn’t “heavily fund” Obama’s presidential campaign. In fact, his presidential campaign got no money from BP itself, only from its employees. And the REASON he got more money from them versus it going to Republicans? BP’s North American HQ’s are in Chicago, where Obama has lived and served from for decades! Overall, Republicans get about 3/4ths of all donations from oil interests. This is the one exception to that rule, and is only because BP has their HQ’s where Obama is from. And “heavily funded”? Nope. It was something like .01% of his campaign funding. Not 1%, but 100 times less than 1%! That’s not “heavily funded”. But that’s what the rightwing media told their followers!
Posted by: DellDolly | June 14, 2010, 3:36 pm 3:36 pm
You don’t understand why the chief guy wouldn’t know the details…
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Tierra, can’t you see the value of having most of that oil in a semi-controlled, central location versus “disbursing” it from Galveston to Cuba in the form of diesel fuel with the consistency bleu cheese salad dressing?
Posted by: smartlillena | June 14, 2010, 5:19 pm 5:19 pm
Republicans get about 3/4ths of all donations from oil interests. This is the one exception to that rule,
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And the one exception has pumped a million(+-) bbls of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. So far.
Hugo Chavez has to be tickled but I bet Castro ain’t!
Posted by: smartlillena | June 14, 2010, 5:32 pm 5:32 pm
Yes, BP is totally responsible, but why can’t we get help from NASA or our Navy. It seems like they would have the best resources to stop the leak and even clean up this mess. After NASA and/or our Navy gets the job done, the bill should be sent to BP.
Posted by: Joni | June 14, 2010, 6:49 pm 6:49 pm
The left is loving this environmental disaster as it is ringing a death knell for oil exploration in this country.
The administration is trying to shutdown coal mining in West Virginia.
Is there any wonder they are letting this thing drag on for 2 months? OK, they are also people who have never actually produced anything and they are totally incompetent.
I am not picking sides. The republicans pick people like McCain and Huckabee. We need a political party with some ability.
Posted by: welldirected | June 15, 2010, 1:39 am 1:39 am
“The left is loving this environmental disaster as it is ringing a death knell for oil exploration in this country.”
Geee you mean the rampant excess of corrupt big business willing to sacrifice our environment to take our natural resources and sell them back to us at a profit is being hoist on its own petard?
What a shame.
Posted by: Ryan C | June 15, 2010, 3:32 pm 3:32 pm
“I am not picking sides. The republicans pick people like McCain and Huckabee. We need a political party with some ability.”
Aren’t you a big Palin fan?
Posted by: Ryan C | June 15, 2010, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm
I’ve got containment boom available for purchase made to the exact specs BP is using but because we haven’t been making boom for 5-7 years BP won’t buy it. Did I mention we’re located in Florida? Does that make any sense?
Posted by: Dean Boudreaux | June 15, 2010, 6:18 pm 6:18 pm
This story reminds me of the failure to waive the Jones Act to obtain the Danish skimmers that were offered not more than three days after the Gulf oil spill began. Total Obamateurism!
Posted by: Richard Fletcher | June 15, 2010, 8:48 pm 8:48 pm
Not a Union shop?
Posted by: Jorge | June 16, 2010, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
Expect things to get MUCH worse on the Gulf coast.
The incompetent, community organizer is not a leader.
Posted by: Garland | June 21, 2010, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
there maybe a hurricane moving in and maybe this is why the sale has stop. they would know when and where it might hit sooner then us folks along the coast.
Posted by: mary | July 20, 2010, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm