25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW l Washington, DC 20001 l 202.393.6226 l fax 202.393.2630 l www.naco.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Goodman
202-942-4222, [email protected]
NACo creates task force to address gulf oil spill
Dissatisfied with federal response, gulf coast counties and parishes ask for
meeting with White House officials
WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Association of Counties’ (NACo) President Glen Whitley today
announced that the association has established a Gulf Counties & Parishes Oil Spill Task Force to
ensure that the needs of local governments associated with the Deepwater Horizon disaster are
addressed sufficiently by the federal government. The task force has asked for a high-level meeting
with White House officials.
Counties and parishes are on the front lines of the containment, cleanup and recovery effort and
have advanced hundreds of millions of local taxpayer dollars to respond to the oil spill. They are
also providing enhanced social services to meet the needs of people affected by the spill and will
play an essential role in leading the restoration of the Gulf Coast environment and economy.
Whitley, County Judge from Tarrant County, Texas, created the task force and serves as chair.
Members of the task force include the executive directors of the five gulf coast state associations of
counties most affected by the BP oil spill disaster – Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and
Texas – and two local elected officials from each state. (See list of members below.)
“The Gulf Counties & Parishes Oil Spill Task Force has formally asked White House officials to
meet before the end of August to discuss a number of serious concerns local government officials
have about the oil spill cleanup and recovery process,” Whitley said.
The Gulf Counties & Parishes Oil Spill Task Force has asked White House officials to be prepared
to discuss four primary concerns:
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Establishment of a dedicated federal funding program to reimburse counties and parishes
for cleanup expenses and lost revenue;
Streamlining of the local government claims submission and reimbursement process;
Support for lifting the moratorium on deep water drilling to mitigate economic losses in the
region; and
Support for additional resources to address the mental health needs of Gulf Coast residents.
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Whitley said it is critical that members of the Gulf Counties & Parishes Oil Spill Task Force
discusses these important issues directly with White House officials because, to date, BP often has
been unresponsive to local on-the-ground needs and claims requests.
In addition, Whitley said counties and parishes in the region continue to receive inconsistent
information from various federal agencies involved in the cleanup effort.
“It is our hope that the Gulf Counties & Parishes Oil Spill Task Force will open the lines of
communications between Washington, D.C. and the local leaders whose communities are suffering
economically, environmentally and emotionally in the aftermath of this great disaster,” Whitley said.
“It is the federal government’s responsibility to work with local government officials and the
affected communities to address these issues promptly and effectively.”
Gulf Counties & Parishes Oil Spill Task Force
NACo President Glen Whitley (Task Force Chair), County Judge, Tarrant County, Texas; Sonny
Brasfield, Executive Director, Association of County Commissions of Alabama; NACo Immediate
Past President Valerie Brown, Supervisor, Chair, Sonoma County, Calif.; Roland Dartez, Executive
Director, Policy Jury Association of Louisiana; Charles F. Gruber, Commissioner, Baldwin County,
Ala.; Christopher L. Holley, Executive Director, Florida Association of Counties; Susan Latvala,
Commissioner, Pinellas County, Fla.; Merceria L. Ludgood; President, Mobile County, Ala.; Michael
Mangum, Supervisor, President, Jackson County, Miss.; Charlotte Randolph, Parish President,
Lafourche Parish, La.; Connie Rockco, Supervisor, President, Harrison County, Miss.; Derrick
Surrette, Executive Director, Mississippi Association of Supervisors; Gene Terry, Executive
Director, Texas Association of Counties; Kathie Wasserman, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal
League; William Williams, Commissioner, Gulf County, Fla.; and John Young, Chairman, Jefferson
Parish, La.
More information about the Gulf Counties & Parishes Oil Spill Task Force is available at
www.naco.org.
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The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in
1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves
the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides
value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org.