Part of the oil spill can be seen near a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico. AP Photo
At this point it is hard to tell whether the Gulf oil spill situation is getting worse or better each day. British Petroleum is in charge of the cleanup information and they have restricted access to much of the information about the spill. Here is what is known based on the information that has been released and independent observation. The most recent pictures from the spill can be seen below.
- British Petroleum has succeeded in inserting a mile long tube to siphon some of the leaking oil. The debate now centers around how much of the oil is leaking. British Petroleum claims that 1,000 barrels a day are being siphoned out and that this number could increase in the the following days. How much of the oil is that? It depends on what estimate one believes. The lowest estimates now have 5,000 barrels of oil leaking each day. The highest estimates have 70,000 barrels leaking each day and there are many estimates in between.
- A debate continues to exist concerning the use of chemical dispersants by BP. The company chose to use the cheapest of the dispersants which happens to be produced by a company with "close ties" to BP. The dispersant is called Corexit and it ranks above other dispersants for toxicity and below other dispersants for efficacy. Some experts believe the extensive use of the dispersants (more than 400,000 gallons so far) could endanger reefs and the underwater ecosystem in the Gulf.
- President Obama is expected to appoint a special commission to investigate the disaster via executive order. The commission will reportedly be made up of independent experts who currently do not hold government positions. The commission will investigate the cause of the disaster and the response to the leak.
- Chris Oynes, the top federal official in charge of offshore drilling, has reportedly announced his retirement. Many are suspecting Oynes departed to avoid scrutiny over his role in the disaster.
- Meanwhile, there is rising concern about the oil catching the Gulf loop current. This current would take the oil to the southern tip of Florida and eventually up the East Coast. Some tar balls have already been found in Key West, though the Coast Guard will not confirm whether they are part of the spill.
Comments
omg... tht looks horrible. i never knew it was tht bad. i hadn't known about it til like last week
I think as a community we need to band together and get proactive on ways we can start building ideas and tools to try and key our Florida Gulf and Keys Clean. If anyone knows of community gatherings to help build or prevent a the shores and other areas from being damaged. I would love to help and I have some Ideas that maybe we could use to help.
how can bp be allowed to continue this totally ineffective effort? where is Obama in all of thisM 28 days and all they have managed is a small pipe that only siphons 20% at best. bpshould be removed from our waters and a team of experts brought in that give a damn. bp is completely arrogant and totally irresponsible. Why doesnt the government step in? Where is the press? If this was Bush it would be a blood bath
I've always thought people should be honest with each other.. The fact that BP is not being open and honest with information on this spill very much bothers me.. So much help has been offered, only to be turned down by BP... I'll not be buying from BP any more...
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