Plaquemines parish offers BP help in distributing booms to contain oil spill along the coast

La. parish official pitches plan to BP

VENICE, La. — One Louisiana leader has an idea to help BP contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Plaquemines (PLAK’-uh-minz) Parish president Billy Nungesser said Saturday he’s waiting to hear back from BP on a plan which the parish would set up a jack up boat inside the barrier islands where inflatable booms would be distributed.

A jack up boat is a vessel with poles on four corners that allows it to lift itself out of water to become a stationary platform.

The reason for using this technique is that there is not enough boom to make a continuous line around the coast. The jack up boat could be used as a staging center.

Nungesser says St. Bernard Parish has pitched a similar plan, and the two parishes are willing to work together.