BP Learning Center in Schriever turns focus to oil spill

Things aren’t all quiet on the western front. Thousands of gallons of oil continue to march steadily toward the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

In bare defense, local officials are taking up arms of a different kind, deploying countless miles of boom and working tirelessly with state and federal agencies to conduct cleanup efforts. Area fishermen have also joined the fight, signing up in numbers to help mitigate the impact of oil on their hollowed hunting grounds, the Gulf of Mexico.

Across the Deep South, the picture is much the same. Local venues are quickly turning into command posts, housing hundreds of engineers, resource managers and oil and gas aficionados bent on figuring out the best way to fix BP’s growing problem. The BP Learning Center in Shriever is one of them.

On April 20, the BP Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf more than 50 miles southeast of Venice, La. The oil rig sank two days later and is now allowing more than 200,000 gallons of crude to enter the sea each day, as a blowout preventer failed to activate. In most cases, the device can be used to seal off the well at the surface wellhead. This time, it didn’t work.

Experts are now using the BP Learning Center as a 24-hour operations base, said BP Government Affairs Director Jason French. The facility is barely a year old and typically accommodates 12 employees.

Sights outside the building have been much different for the past three weeks. The flurry of activity has left people scrambling for parking spots, while the cafeteria, which lies just inside, overflows with conversation on a daily basis. For security guards, cell phones are becoming a constant nuisance.

“I think if you would have walked into this building the afternoon of April 20, there may have been a 40 or 50-person class. Other than that, the building would have been empty,” explained French.

Last Tuesday, 460 people were inside the building at mid-day.

From Coast Guard officials to those working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), everyone has taken their place at the helms, trying to steer the ship in the right direction. “We’re trying to deploy every resource available,” said French.

In a large room that is normally used to train groves of BP technicians, “some of the best” are hard at work, he added.

A map of the oil slick hangs on the wall. The sound of keyboards mimics pocket watches.

While everyone’s mission is different, their goal is the same. “We’re all working towards mitigating the effect on the coastline and cleaning up the spill. That’s the number one goal of everyone in this building,” said French.

About 2,200 people who are working on the response effort have passed through the learning center. “Even if they’re not working here, a lot of them are tied to the operations that are occurring here,” he explained.

Cafeteria employees used to serving groups of about 50 had been given the day off last Tuesday to recuperate.

Meals are now being served around the clock to between 700 and 800 workers. “Everybody in this building is working unbelievable hours, pushing themselves to the limits,” touted French.

Alongside the work that is being conducted in the field, French said, “A lot of the things that we’re doing are happening for the first time.”

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Sunday the Acting Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Rowan Gould, would be stationed in Houma to help oversee protection efforts aimed at preserving coastal communities and natural resources.

Gould’s appointment comes during a time of transition for local leaders, as Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet signed a State of Emergency declaration last Sunday after projections revealed the oil slick was moving west of Venice.

Yet, according to parish and BP officials, it’s unclear what effect the crude will have on the area in the coming weeks.

Dwayne Breaux (left) and Joel Dugas, working for BP Logistics, continue to monitor the oil slick produced by the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. * Photo by MICHAEL DAVIS