Heavy oil has been impacting Florida beaches over the last 24 hours. AP Photo
In the ongoing battle against the Gulf oil spill, yesterday was definitely a "step backwards" by most accounts. After reinstalling the cap on the leaking pipe 5,000 feet beneath the ocean surface, BP is now struggling to capture the same amount of oil it did before removing the cap. In addition, despite the best efforts of both local and state officials in Florida, heavy oil continued to come ashore along beaches in the panhandle. Louisiana and Alabama also continue to see heavy oil impacting their shoreline on beaches and marshland. Here are the latest updates from the Gulf Coast oil spill. Pictures from the disaster can be seen below.
- On June 23rd BP claims to have captured 16,830 barrels of oil. On that day the cap on the leak was removed over concerns of a malfunctioning vent. BP has now placed the cap back on the leak, but says it will take a while for the siphon operation to once again reach full capacity. Yesterday BP captured around 7,000 barrels of oil in the first 12 hours of the siphon operation. The most recent estimates of the total oil flow have anywhere from 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil leaking each day. At its peak the cap and contain procedure was capturing about 27,000 barrels of oil each day. Next week BP plans to add a third vessel the the siphon operation which could double the capacity to capture oil. By the end of the month BP hopes to capture about 90% of the oil flowing from the wellhead.
- Florida was forced to close their first beach because of the oil spill yesterday. Increasing amounts of heavy oil are now coming ashore along the Florida panhandle overwhelming clean up crews. The boom and other protective measures are simply not working to keep oil from the shores leading one official to say that cleanup along the beaches will become part of daily life until the leak is stopped.
- BP has now spent $2.35 billion on the oil spill thus far. The company's stock continues to suffer with every setback in the relief effort as well.
- The National Hurricane Center now says that there is a 70% chance of a tropical depression will organize and form in the western Caribbean. Officials are concerned that the depression could worsen into a storm system shutting down the containment operation and/or bringing more oil ashore along the Gulf Coast.
- Kenneth Feinberg, the administrator of the $20 billion Gulf relief fund, has said he will begin speeding up the process by which claims are paid for along the Gulf Coast. So far the reviews on Feinberg are positive as he has extensive experience dispensing funds to victims from the 9/11 attacks and other disasters.
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