September 12, 2012 — British oil giant BP said Tuesday it has asked the U.S. federal and local authorities for permission to do the "deep-cleaning" of buried oil exposed on Louisiana beaches by Hurricane Isaac's waves.
BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization President Mike Utsler said Tuesday that BP has asked permission from the U.S. Coast Guard and state and local officials to "deep clean" beaches on Grand Isle, Grand Terre Island, Fourchon Beach and Elmer's Island to remove oil that was uncovered during Hurricane Isaac, according to news website nola.com.
The deep cleaning process would wash sand deeper along the beach than had occurred in earlier removal efforts along those beaches. The process was used extensively along "amenity" beaches used by tourists in Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, the report said.
The plan would be approved by the Deepwater Horizon Incident Management Team led by the U.S. Coast Guard, Utsler said.