2 Proposals For Permanent Oil Spill Rescue Center

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Before the last birds plucked from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill had left a rescue center in Hammond, La., some of the station's former staffers were looking for $2 million to open a permanent center to take charge after the next oil spill.

A group including the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, which runs a wildlife hospital, and the Audubon Nature Institute, which is still caring for about 30 once-oiled sea turtles, has a more elaborate $124 million proposal.

Both agree the Gulf Coast needs a permanent center that works with injured and sick wildlife year-in and year-out, but also has staffers with expertise in oiled wildlife and the ability to handle huge numbers of animals at a time.