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A security contractor who was once responsible for keeping reporters away from cleanup workers is now coming forward to blow the whistle on BP.

Adam Dillon claims he was fired by the oil company after he took pictures showing how dispersants were being used in the Gulf.

WDSU anchor Scott Walker first met Dillon in June while trying to report on cleanup efforts on Grand Isle, Louisiana.

"When you met me, and you were straight with me and I saw the way that you were being treated, I told you I wished I could tell you more," Dillon told Walker in an interview Friday. "And after the way BP treated me, I'm telling you now that you deserve an answer, and that's why you're getting an answer."

Dillon maintains that he was fired several weeks later. "I took pictures of something and I brought it to the attention of the command structure and whatever I took pictures of, 12 hours later I was gone," he said.

"Dillon believes the photos showed how dispersants were being used in the Gulf of Mexico," reported WDSU. The former security contractor did not provide specifics about how photos of dispersants might have angered BP management.

"What this company is doing to this country right now is just wrong," said Dillon.

WDSU did not find anyone at BP willing to comment on Dillon's dismissal.

h/t The Political Carnival

This needs to be investigated to find out if the allegations are true.

Allegations emerge BP is dumping sand to cover oil:

C.S.’s original goal was to gain access to some of the areas being guarded by BP contractors and deemed “off limits” to reporters, but yesterday he, along with Save Our Shores‘s Judson Parker, made an unexpected discovery.

They believe that BP has been dumping sand on the beaches in order to cover up oil. You can view some video Judson shot of the beach over here. Read on...

The above video apparently got the attention of Fox News who featured it in the segment below, and naturally they asked if there was any proof BP was doing the dumping, which there's not. When they're already trucking in sand for those berms and keeping everyone away from the areas covered in oil, I would not expect there to be any evidence unless some employee came forward and said this is what they are doing.

Pair that with this set of videos taken in Pensacola Florida and it raises more questions about what they're doing with this supposed "cleanup". h/t Hechicera

Pensacola Beach June 23rd:

Same beach (same videographer a few days later):

So questions. Are they trucking in sand and just covering up the mess? Are they trying to clean it up and the efforts just aren't doing a bit of good with the tides full of oil coming in and out? No matter what they're doing it doesn't appear to be making any difference. The beaches still have oil on them underneath the sand as the above video clips show. It would be nice if the media would get out there and demand some access to these sites and find out. If they are just dumping sand over the oil it needs to stop immediately.

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More bad news for Louisiana.

Giant Oil Slick Headed For Grand Isle:

A government official says it's the first major threat to Grand Isle, Louisiana in three weeks. A massive oil slick, described as "a tremendous plume" by the official, on a direct course to hit the Gulf Coast in 24-48 hours.

The slick, photographed by a Fox Cameraman aboard a chartered helicopter, is 20 miles out in the Gulf but headed towards land. It's said to be 32 miles long and several miles wide, with "fingers" of thick crude stretching in different directions both at sea level and below.

The slick may be broken up by chemical dispersants dropped from planes, but the layers of defenses established by BP and government officials, including containment boom, barges and skimmer ships may not be enough to keep the oil from reaching land.

It's expected to make impact by Monday night or Tuesday morning.

And in the meantime, the oil is hitting Mississippi as well, and as Think Progress reports, Haley Barbour had some other priorities.

BP Slick Reached Mississippi While Haley Barbour Went Fundraising In Washington:

As significant amounts of oil from the BP disaster moved past Mississippi’s barrier islands this week, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) partied in Washington DC to raise money for Republicans. On Wednesday, boats were skimming oil near the Petit Bois Island at the Mississippi-Alabama border. Barbour decided to attend to his duties as a political fundraiser.

...Continuing his record of dismissing the magnitude of the BP disaster, Barbour said on Friday after he returned to Mississippi that major slicks miles long within the Mississippi Sound “shouldn’t be a cause for alarm.”

...The system for responding to a major oil spill depends on coordination between the federal government, the responsible oil company, and the state government. Out of the 6,000 National Guard troops President Obama has authorized for response in Mississippi, Haley Barbour has mobilized only 58. However, he has declared today to be a Day of Prayer “to remember the Mississippi Gulf Coast.” Read on...

I guess we'll see how much longer he's going to pretend the oil isn't hitting Mississippi's coastline when he returns.

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The BP oil spill is causing less damage to Mississippi than the media, according to Gov. Haley Barbour.

"Well, the truth is, Chris, we have had virtually no oil," Barbour told Fox News' Chris Wallace Sunday.

"We have had a few tar balls but we have tar balls every year as a natural product of the Gulf of Mexico. 50,000 to 750,000 barrels of oil seep in the Gulf of Mexico through the floor every year. So, tar balls are no big deal," said Barbour.

"The biggest negative impact for us has been the news coverage. There has been no distinction between Grand Isle and Venice and the places in Louisiana that we feel so terrible for that have had oil washing up on them," the governor complained.

"The average viewer to this show thinks that the whole coast from Florida to Texas is ankle-deep in oil," he said.

"Our tourist season has been hurt by the misperception of what is going on down here. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is beautiful. As I tell people, the coast is clear. Come on down!"

President Obama gave his weekly address from Grand Isle, Louisiana and pledged to make sure that the business owners and residents are "made whole". Nice speech Mr. President but sadly these people will never be "made whole" because there's no way to undo the damage to the region that's already done. I also don't think that there's any question about whether laws have been broken. The question is whether they're going to be prosecuted or not and whether it's going to be underlings who go to jail or if we're ever going to see someone at the top held accountable for the damage they've done.

We'll see what action follows up the speech. Unlike the Chuck Todds and James Carvilles of the world, I could care less about how many times he goes down to the region or whether he looks like he's angry or not. I want to see some action being taken and this oil contained. So far they're not doing nearly enough. I hope that changes soon before it's too late for the areas that have not been affected yet.

It would also make me feel a lot better if I don't hear any more stories about Admiral Thad Allen and BP CEO Tony Hayward having nice cozy dinners together.

Weekly Address: President Obama Outlines Administration Response Efforts to the BP Oil Spill from Grand Isle, LA

WASHINGTON- In his weekly address, President Barack Obama underscored his commitment to helping the people of the Gulf Coast recover and rebuild from the BP oil spill that has threatened their livelihoods. On Friday, the President heard from local residents and small business owners about the hardships that they are facing as a result of this catastrophe. The Administration has mobilized the largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country to clean up the BP oil spill. Additionally, the federal government is working to ensure that BP and other companies are held accountable for damages and that aggressive new standards are put into place to avoid a disaster in the future.

Transcript below the fold.

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