[StBernard] Admiral Allen transfers oversight responsibilities for oil spill operations

[Westley Annis]

Admiral Allen transfers oversight responsibilities for oil spill operations

"Today the National Incident Command is disestablished and I have
transferred oversight of the BP oil spill response to Rear Admiral Paul
Zukunft, the Unified Area Commander, in New Orleans," Allen said in an
official statement released this morning. "Response operations will continue
under transition plans that have developed with our state and local
partners. Unity of effort must continue to be our common goal.  Our
commitment to this response and the people of the Gulf of Mexico remains and
I am pleased that Rear Admiral Zukunft will continue his dedicated service.
This response has been unprecedented in its scope and complexity and we
cannot forget the 11 crew members that lost their lives.  As I transition to
a new phase of my professional life, I want to thank the thousands of
individuals from all levels of government, local communities and
organizations, and the private sector who worked tirelessly to contain the
discharge, shut in the well, clean up the oil and mitigate the impacts of
the spill. It has been my honor to have served with them."

"I would like to thank Admiral Allen for his dedication to this response.
Rear Admiral Zukunft is an appropriate choice to oversee the remaining
response activities and transition plans," St. Bernard Parish President
Craig Taffaro said of the change of command. "There is still a tremendous
amount of work to be done and I look forward to working with the Area
Command in New Orleans to continue to assess the long-term effects of this
disaster and mitigate these impacts for our community."