PORTLAND — A Maine company that has 15 miles of oil containment boom in a warehouse says it has been getting the runaround in its effort to sell the boom and have it delivered to the Gulf of Mexico.

Packgen President John Lapoint III said BP has visited his plant twice to inspect his product, and he has provided test results proving that his boom meets strength and abrasion standards. He said the situation shows the need for the federal government to take a more active role in the cleanup.

“BP isn’t a boom expert. They are drilling experts. They are oil experts,” he said. “And their efforts and energies need to be focused on putting the plug in that hole and not being distracted by all this other stuff

Packgen, a 32-year-old company based in Auburn, manufactures polypropylene containers that are designed to store and transport hazardous materials. After seeing that there was a need for boom to contain the oil, Lapoint altered the production process to make 70,000 to 80,000 feet of boom on speculation.

More than 2.5 million feet of boom has already been deployed in the Gulf to help contain the oil that has been spewing into the ocean since April 20, with another 586,000 feet ready to be deployed, according to BP.

Lapoint has been making his pitch to BP for weeks, but his boom is still in a warehouse in Maine. He has enlisted the help of Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Gov. John Baldacci.

BP is scheduled to send an inspector to Packgen for a third time, this week, he said.

Collins said she’s not convinced that the administration and BP are using all available resources to contain the spill.

“For example, we know that the Coast Guard has an immediate and ongoing need for additional containment boom. Yet a company in Maine that could help to produce this much-needed boom has had great difficulty in getting BP and the Coast Guard to take advantage of its capability.”


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