This is, once again, an addition to a long litany of the colossal fuck-ups that BP has done in managing their response to the oil spill. Apparently, they've not really been manning their volunteer centers, and have refused to take in volunteers with actual background experience in responding to oil spills. Here's more from Brad Johnson at Think Progress on this issue:
BP has rejected the help of thousands of volunteers, many with expert training and experience in handling offshore oil disasters and oil spill cleanup. Yesterday, MSNBC’s Chuck Todd interviewed Don Abrams of OilSpillVolunteers.com, who collected the names of nearly 8,000 volunteers in the first weeks after BP’s Deepwater Horizon explosion, and tried repeatedly to contribute their expertise to mitigating this national disaster. Many of the volunteers Abrams had organized have certification in the federal government’s official Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER), and were ready and able to train others.
continued at Daily Kos....
