On the 82nd day of the Gulf Oil Disaster, robotic submarines, a mile down in the now-murky waters of the Gulf of Mexico removed the leaking cap from what is left of the Deepwater Horizon oil well.   Millions of gallons of crude will now flow freely into the sea for until Monday, when a new seal can be mounted in an attempt to plug the hole until relief wells are finished in August.

 Coast Guard spokesman Capt. James McPherson said:

It’s not just going to be, you put the cap on, it’s done. It’s not like putting a cap on a tube of toothpaste.

If tests show that this new cap can hold under the pressure of the oil and is working, the Gulf region would experience its biggest piece of good news since the April 20 explosion on the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig, which killed 11 workers.

Kent Wells, a BP senior vice president, said of the round-the-clock operation:

Over the next four to seven days, depending on how things go, we should get that sealing cap on. That’s our plan.

The federal government estimates that between 87 million and 172 million gallons of oil has poured into the Gulf as of Saturday.

Officials said as much as 5 million gallons will gush into already fouled waters before this new cap is securely in place.

Paul Bommer, a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Texas at Austin wrote in an e-mail Saturday:

If the new cap does work and they shut the well in, it is possible that part of the well could rupture if the pressure inside builds to an unacceptable value. 

If the new cap doesn’t work, BP is ready to place a backup similar the old one on top of the leak.

The government estimates 1.5 million to 2.5 million gallons of oil a day are spewing from the well.  The previous cap collected about 1 million gallons of that.   With the new cap and a new containment vessel, the system will be capable of capturing 2.5 million to 3.4 million gallons, essentially all the leaking oil,according to officials.

The plan to replace the cap was sped up to take advantage of a window of good weather lasting seven to 10 days.  Gulf Coast residents are not impressed.

 Deano Bonano, director of emergency preparedness for Jefferson Parish said:

This is probably the sixth or seventh method they’ve tried, so, no, I’m not optimistic.

He spent his Saturday inspecting beaches at Grand Isle lined with protective boom and bustling with heavy equipment used to scoop up and clean stained sand.

He said:

Even if they turn it off today, we’ll still be here at least another six weeks, on watch for the oil.

 Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation opined:

Shutting off the oil is a very important step, but we should not assume this disaster is over.   I think it’s important to recognize that there’s an enormous amount of oil still in the Gulf.

For the hard-working Americans on the Gulf Coast who make their living off of tourism, the spill couldn’t have come at a worse time.   Summer is prime tourist season on the Gulf.   Louisiana saw $1.36 billion of its more than $8 billion in tourism dollars generated by its Gulf region last year.  Alabama’s beaches produced 25% of the $9.2 billion in tourism dollars gathered by the state in 2009.   And of the 19 million visitors who visited Mississippi July 2008 through June 2009, 5.5 million traveled to the state’s three coastal counties. 

In the Magnolia State, this catastophe could result in a $120 million loss to non-casino tourism in the state’s coastal areas this summer, per a study released this month by the University of Southern Mississippi.  The average daily rates for hotels in the Gulf region are in freefall, according to the travel website Travelocity.   Before May 15, hotel bookings for June in Panama City, Fla., were averaging $122 a night through Travelocity.   However,  June bookings made from May 15 to June 22 fell on average to $96. 

Vacationers who otherwise would have gone to the Gulf Coast  say they’re planning trips to other parts of the South, such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Arizona, the Caribbean and Europe also are alternative destinations, according to travel watchers and planners.

But, hey, no worries.  The President’s not going to let a little thing like an 83 day ongoing disaster ruining an entire region of the country stand between him and another family vacation.

The first family is going to spend next weekend vacationing on Mount Desert Island, Maine, per U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree.

President Barack Obama and his family will arrive Friday, July 16, and stay through Sunday, July 18.

Where the family would stay and the sightseeing they would do while visiting Maine was not known as of Friday night.  The visit is a personal family vacation.  No public appearances are scheduled, Pingree said.

She also gushed (No pun intended, but it was pretty good.  Wasn’t it?)

What an honor that the Obama family has chosen Maine for vacation when they could have gone anywhere in the country.  I think the Obamas will really enjoy the quiet woods, beautiful coast, wonderful people and everything else that brings thousands of families here every year.

While White House officials did not say where on the island the first family would stay, Obama has political connections on MDI.  George Mitchell, U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace, owns a home in Seal Harbor. Mitchell and his wife, Heather, have two children, Andrew, 12, and Claire, 9. The Obama children, Malia and Sasha, are 12 and 9, respectively.

In August 2009, the first family visited Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. The Obamas also spent time on Martha’s Vineyard in August 2009.

Not to mention the 39 rounds of golf that the president has played since the Gulf Oil Disaster began in April.

Information about whether the family would arrive in Air Force One, the presidential jet, was not given out.  Air Force One can not land at either the Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton nor the Portland International Jetport.  The runways are not long enough.

Air Force One may land at Bangor International Airport and the Obamas could take a helicopter to the airport in Trenton, then take a motorcade to MDI.   Last summer, Air Force One landed on Cape Cod.  Then the family took a helicopter to Martha’s Vineyard, then rode in a motorcade to the 28-acre compound where they stayed.

Mr. President, I’m glad to know that you’re able to “work in” another vacation while the great Americans on the Gulf Coast are seeing their lives sink into a pit of black ooze.   You are the most insensitive, aloof, uncaring, and narcissistic President that this country has ever seen.  The American people are on to you.  And we are not impressed.

Sources:  drudgereport.com, yahoo.com, bangordailynews.com, usatoday.com