Democrat congressman says oil spill response is "incompetent"

GULFPORT -- As oil spread as close as 1½ miles from Jackson County's coast Saturday, U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor called the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster "incompetent."

"I'm having a Katrina flashback," said the Bay St. Louis Democrat after an aerial survey of the Mississippi Sound and barrier islands Saturday morning. "I haven't seen this much incompetence since Michael Brown was running FEMA."

Brown was the FEMA director who was fired for a faulty response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Taylor flew with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, as far east as Ship Island and west to Cat Island from the Gulfport airport on a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter.

Taylor said U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who heads the spill response, should fix problems that include a lack of direction and equipment.

"Vessels of Opportunity do not identify themselves," said Taylor. "There is no way to communicate with them.

All those boats are running around like headless chickens. None of them are skimming for oil. It is criminal. Between the amount of money, the amount of wasted effort, there shouldn't be a drop of oil in the Mississippi Sound, but because of this incompetence, it is there."