Town hall meeting on oil spill asked many questions, but got few answers.

People filled the seats and lined the walls at the University of South St. Petersburg's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute looking for answers Tuesday. At the helm of the town hall meeting on the oil spill was Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, listening to dozens of questions about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Mabus was appointed by President Obama to develop a long-term plan for restoring the Gulf with input from coastal residents and business owners.

"Taxpayers should not be on the hook for restoration costs from the BP damage. Has BP committed to paying for Gulf restoration and the plan that we all come up with?" asked Congresswoman Kathy Castor, who was also in attendance at Tuesday's meeting.

"This president, while the oil was still flowing, made a commitment to long-term recovery. That's a commitment we're going to keep," said Mabus.

Castor also asked Mabus about legally protecting Florida's waters from oil rigs. Last month, Governor Charlie Crist asked the legislature for a constitutional ban on drilling on the November ballot but got little support.

This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2010.