The Diane Rehm Show

Please ask Admiral Allen what is in the dispersants that have been widely used in the Gulf. I realize the exact ingredients are secret, but what kinds of chemicals are typically used as dispersants? Why hasn't NOAA demanded to know the exact ingredients of Corexit? I am more concerned about seafood contamination with dispersant than I am with oil because oil may be more easily detected.

Diane,

Can the contained oil be stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?

Thank you,

Moe

Please ask him his opinion on the dirty handed tricks of BP trying to hire all the scientists that the government would need to rely upon in order to create a conflict of interest and prevent said scientists from helping the US government create a case against BP once this all heads to the courts.

Rachel Maddow correctly used a Sopranos clip to best illustrate these underhanded maneuvers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/

Thanks!

Kimberly of St. Louis, MO

Hi Diane,

Please ask the Admiral:

A simple question. How is BP allowed to drill without a formal action plan or operational procedure for correction in case of leakage or explosion? I don't understand how this is possible, the risks to human life, ocean life and our environment are at risk, as we all now know.

I just visited Cypremort Point State Park in southeastern Louisiana. The Gulf Coast beach there is covered with a thick black mulch. There was a handwritten notice at the entrance to the park stating that this is mulch not oil. Why are the state parks mulching the beaches? I stepped in it and sank about a foot. Is it to absorb the oil? Certainly, if oil comes ashore there, it will be far less visible than on the white sand underlying the mulch. Is this a pr tactic by the state to minimize the visual effect of oil on the Louisiana beaches?

Does admiral Allen agree with the decision by the state of LA to allow
Recreational fishing to resume?

I am interested in the "barriers" that were created to protect some of the islands in the area. Were they installed? Were they effective?

I am a licensed professional engineer in mechanical engineering, not related to the oil industry. I am blown away by Mr. Allen's lack of familiarity with even the most basic techinical aspects of this situation. I had suspicions before, but during this interview he has proven to me that he has reasonable training and ability in the P.R. field but is completely unqualified to be able to understand and make decisions on well related matters. He's been on this 24/7 since the beginning (and worked around oil operations for his long career) yet the callers seem by their questions to be in a more informed position than he is. If he responds to information from BP in the same manner that he's responding to listeners then BP must be forced to dumb down the information they give him and that allows a wide leeway for him to be manipulated. Nice guy but we need the best and brightest on this.

My overall impression is that Admiral Allen cannot be trusted, Diane. There is probably no point having him back. He's a trailer; not a tractor. The response to the engineer late in the program was evasive, defensive and typical of his approach. How about you (and producers) get Carol Browner, the President's adviser on energy and the environment, as a guest. She could address some policy issues. I know Counselor Browner from Takoma Park, and she has a real affinity for the environment (former Clinton EPA director). Browner became familiar with the fragility of coastal ecosystems while working in Florida for Gov. Lawton Chiles (deceased). She is a former staffer for Al Gore and so has a vision about energy strategies. Carol Browner is qualified to become a Supreme Court Justice. You can trust her even as you push for answers.