NAACP CRITICAL OF BP'S HIRING The NAACP has sent a letter to BP expressing concerns that minority members helping with the Gulf of Mexico cleanup tend to be assigned tougher, lower-paying jobs than whites. Benjamin T. Jealous, the civil rights organization's president, said in the letter dated Friday that he wanted to meet with BP's chief executive. The NAACP also says minority contractors are not receiving equal consideration for work. And it claims that contractors are busing in workers from out of state instead of hiring local residents who have lost their livelihoods because of the spill. LOUISIANA GOVERNOR SAYS BERM IS WORKING Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana said the sand berm the state built in front of the Chandeleur islands has stopped oil from going farther inland. The governor said Louisiana National Guard troops had collected 500 pounds of oiled debris on the sand berm. He said on Friday that a dredge had renewed work on the berm after bad weather and high waves battered Louisiana in recent days. Environmentalists and coastal scientists have questioned how well the sand berm would work. They say it will be washed out quickly and do little to stop oil. Jindal is pushing for more natural coastal defenses, like rock barriers and sand barriers. 