[BobMcCartyWrites]

There's been a lot of criticism circulating throughout the web -- and even throughout the conservative blogosphere (here and here)-- about the apparent failure by Obama Administration officials to take advantage of warehouses in Maine that are reportedly full of boom manufactured by Packgen. Though I'm the last person anyone would expect to see defending the Obama Administration, I think some of the criticism might be misplaced.

I base my conclusion above upon information I received via e-mail from Navy Lt. Cmdr. J.R. Hoeft, Deepwater Horizon Response spokesperson, helps explain why officials involved in the cleanup efforts -- likely BP officials and not "Obamatrons" -- did not jump to take advantage of the reported abundance of boom in the Pine Tree State:

The boom manufactured by Packgen did not pass an initial quality control test. Boom is subjected to great wear and tear when placed in the water and must be frequently tended. In order to retain its effectiveness boom must be of high quality. Once Packgen's boom passes inspection, the company can be considered as a source for supplying boom to the largest oil spill response operation in U.S. history. In the meantime, suitable boom is being identified and obtained quickly and there is currently 459,000 feet of boom stored in the region in addition to the 2.24 million feet deployed.

Conservative friends, don't take this the wrong way. I remain convinced the Obama Administration has handled this disaster as badly as any disaster has ever been handled and will likely continue to do so. At the same time, however, we must remember that there are so many other areas of failure upon which we can focus.

[ABQHispConservative]

Then why the dog and pony show about this. If this were the case, someone should have said something from the get go, instead of letting the story go on. I’m sorry, but this explanation sounds fishy.

[UCANSEE2]

“Boom is subjected to great wear and tear when placed in the water and must be frequently tended.”

So it would work, it just might not be ‘reusable’ for the normal 2-3 deployment lifespan other booms had. Correct?

[Mamzelle]

So make it the “second string” boom!! (I’m calling BS, anyway, with all the foot-dragging and unresponsiveness thus far, I don’t exactly trust)

[Sacajaweau]

An engineer could likely tell quality in ten minutes. It’s like 600 count sheets vs 200 count. Gimme a break. So who IS providing all the boom???

[rawcatslyentist]

Oil Spill Cleanup Official Says Plentiful Packgen Boom Didn't Pass Initial Quality Control Test

1st test, how much kickback are you willing to pass to my donors?

[Crim]

Smells like bullshit.

[rolling_stone]

I don’t believe one word coming out of any part of the government these days. The employees are corrupted, intimidated and incompetent. If the boom was made by union workers or illegals I bet it would be ok.

[Robert A Cook PE]

No.

Even a moderately successful boom “that requires maintenance” is better than nothing.

This bureaucrat is hiding the government’s failure by citing - of course - bureaucratic standards.

[dogcaller]

...so just let the goo contaminate the marshes.