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Obama Aides: First Phase Of Oil Spill Cleanup Is Over
The Oval: Top Stories &n Community Feed
August 8, 2010: Obama administration officials went on Sunday news shows today to trumpet the fact that oil is no longer leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, but also to warn that the damaged well is not yet killed and a big cleanup job remains.
"I think the first phase is over because the well is not leaking," White House environmental adviser Carol Browner said on NBC's Meet The Press. "We see this as a phase, but not the end, by any means."
As for the cleanup, Browner said: "The good news is we're not seeing huge amounts of oil in our beaches and in our marshes. ... There's still a lot of work to do."
Thad Allen, President Obama's point person on the spill, said on CBS' Face The Nation "we're just moving to a different phase. ... We'll continue until the cleanup is done."
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said it's time for Obama to reconsider the moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf. "I think that we're risking 100,000 jobs in the Gulf Coast with this moratorium," Boehner said.
