Nutter To Tour BP Oil Mess With Mayors On Monday

Mayor Nutter is one of 14 elected leaders from the United States Conference of Mayors who on Monday will visit New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf of Mexico impacted by the oil gushing from a catastrophic accident on a BP oil well 5,000 feet under water.

Nutter, the group's new second vice president, will join his fellow mayors in calling for BP and the federal government to adopt its recommendations to cope with the oil disaster.  The mayors will receive a briefing from Coast Guard officials, take a bus trip to Lafitte, La. and a boat tour with Louisiana fishermen, and then enjoy a seafood lunch at Bon Ton Restaurant in New Orleans.

You can read the USCM's news release on the event after the jump.

THE U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS TO BRING MAYORS TO THE GULF COAST

Mayors to tour BP Oil Disaster Waters, Meet with Fishermen,

Develop Future Strategy Over Fresh Catch Louisiana Seafood Lunch

In New Orleans Restaurant

Washington, D.C. – The President of The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, along with USCM Second Vice President Philadelphia (PA) Mayor Michael Nutter and USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran, will lead the nation's mayors on a mission to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Monday, June 21 to stand in solidarity with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the mayors of the region impacted by the BP oil disaster, and to push Washington and BP to accept the recommendations adopted last week at the 78th Annual Meeting of The United States Conference of Mayors on the oil disaster. Media representatives ARE invited to join the mayors for the day.

Accompanying Mayor Kautz will be several mayors from cities across the country including Santa Barbara (CA) Mayor Helene Schneider, Houston (TX) Mayor Anise Parker and Biloxi (MS) Mayor A.J. Holloway and Mobile (AL) Mayor Sam Jones. The mayors will join Mayor Landrieu in a briefing with Coast Guard officials, a bus trip to Lafitte (LA), a boat tour with Louisiana fishermen, and a late seafood lunch at Bon Ton Restaurant in New Orleans. Mayors will also discuss Fair Share Legislation and give support for moving the enactment up earlier than the presently called for 2017. Over 14 cities will be represented (see below).

Last week during The Conference of Mayors' Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, U.S. mayors passed a resolution on the oil disaster calling for the Obama Administration to establish a special task force of appropriate senior federal officials, including a Gulf Oil Disaster commander to direct the actions of all the federal agencies involved, to provide timely and updated information to mayors and local officials on mitigation efforts, and to ensure that lead federal agencies are coordinating closely with cities and local governments in ALL PHASES of the national response.

Schedule for Monday, June 21:

8:00AM – 8:30 AM Briefing w/ Coast Guard Officials, BP Government Affairs Director at Unified Command for Gulf Oil Spill Response (1250 Poydras St,, New Orleans)

8:45AM – 9:30 AM Bus Travel to Lafitte, LA (Briefing on bus from Michael Hecht, CEO of GNO, Inc and Louisiana Seafood Association

9:30AM Arrive at Boat Dock in Lafitte (Intersection of Elizabeth Street & Jean Lafitte Blvd) & Welcome by Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham

9:45AM – 12:15 PM Board Tour (Travel to jack-up barge to meet with fishermen and view oil damage in marshes)

12:30PM –1:15 PM Depart Lafitte for New Orleans

1:15PM – 2:30PM PRESS CONFERENCE and Lunch at Bon Ton Café (401 Magazine St., New Orleans) NOTE: Tables will be pre-set with heaping plates of seafood; media invited to photograph the mayors having lunch

Participating Mayors:

Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, Burnsville, MN

Mayor Mike Nutter, Philadelphia, PA

Mayor Mitch Landrieu, New Orleans, LA
Mayor Kip Holden, Baton Rouge, LA

Mayor Tim Kerner, Jean Laffite, LA

Mayor Helene Schneider, Santa Barbara, CA

Mayor Bob Foster, Long Beach, CA

Mayor Frank Hibbard, Clearwater FL
Mayor Randall Henderson Jr., Fort Myers, FL

Mayor Sam Jones, Mobile, AL

Mayor Charley Dumas, Prentiss, MS and Mississippi Municipal League (MML) President-Elect

Mayor A.J. Holloway, City of Biloxi, MS

Mayor Annise Parker, Houston, TX

Mayor Mark Burroughs, Denton, TX

Chief Of Staff, Tallahassee, FL C. Scott Dudley, Florida League of Cities

MML Executive Director, George E. Lewis

Don Borut, Carolyn Coleman, Mitch Herckis, National League of Cities