\nthe United States is never hit with such a disaster again, President Barack
\nObama was clamping down on the oil industry<\/a>,
\nputting on hold any deepwater oil exploration or drilling for the next six
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
Coast Guard
\nchief Thad Allen, who is coordinating the federal government’s battle against
\nthe spill, said the “top kill” maneuver begun on Wednesday by BP to
\nplug the leak had stopped the gush of oil from the mile-deep well.<\/p>\n
But he cautioned
\nit was still too early to declare victory as the British energy giant pumps
\nheavy drilling liquids, dubbed “mud,” into the fractured wellhead to
\nbeat back the flow of oil, before sealing it with concrete.<\/p>\n
“They’ve
\nbeen able to stabilize the wellhead, they’re pumping mud down it. They’ve stopped the hydrocarbons from coming up,”
\nAllen told local radio WWL First News. But he cautioned that while they were
\noptimistic, “there is no reason to declare victory yet. We need to watch
\nit very, very carefully.”<\/p>\n
BP officials
\nsaid they hoped to know later Thursday if the operation had succeeded.<\/p>\n
It was the first
\nflicker of good news for BP in the five weeks since the Deepwater Horizon rig
\nleased from Transocean exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers, and then sank.<\/p>\n
But government
\nscientists confirmed fears that the Gulf of Mexico spill is set to be the worst
\nin U.S. history, saying oil was flowing out at a rate up to four times higher
\nthan previously estimated.<\/p>\n
Unveiling new
\ndata, they said the oil had been gushing from the burst pipe at a rate of
\nbetween 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day—much higher than the previous
\nestimate of 5,000 barrels a day.<\/p>\n
Under such a
\nscenario, that would mean that between 18.6 million and 29.5 million gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf.<\/p>\n
The 1989 Exxon
\nValdez disaster off Alaska saw some 11 million gallons of crude spilled into
\nthe state’s pristine waters, in what was until now the worst U.S. oil disaster.<\/p>\n
BP has come
\nunder increasing pressure from the Obama administration and furious residents
\nof the Gulf region helplessly watching oil wash ashore, with 100 miles of
\nLouisiana’s fragile coastal wetlands and beaches now contaminated. The sticky
\ncrude is already imperiling rare species of animal and plant life, and has also
\nled to a major fishing ban in the marine rich waters.<\/p>\n
In a new
\ndevelopment highlighting environmental and health problems, all 125 commercial fishing boats helping to clean up the oil
\noff Louisiana’s Breton Sound were recalled after four workers reported health
\nproblems. The crew members aboard three separate vessels working in the area
\nreported experiencing nausea, dizziness, headaches, and chest pains, officials
\nsaid. It raised new questions about the
\nrisks of working with the thick gobs of oil washing up on shores here and the
\ntoxicity of tens of thousands of gallons of chemical dispersants used by BP to
\nbreak up the slick.<\/p>\n
Amid the
\ndesperate cleanup, there was more ominous news from U.S. experts, who warned
\nthe upcoming hurricane season could be one of the worst on record. It is feared
\nthat high winds could sweep huge oil-soaked waves further up onto the shores of
\nLouisiana and its neighbors, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.<\/p>\n
A White House
\naide said Obama would extend for
\nsix months a moratorium on offshore oil drilling in deep water. He also will
\ndelay planned oil exploration projects off Alaska, and cancel plans to lease
\ndrilling rights in the western Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia,
\nofficials said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile amid a litany of reported failures at the well, Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Climate Post: BP oil spill washes up on Potomac shores<\/a><\/p>\n The Climate Post: BP Oil Spill Washes up Potomac<\/a><\/p>\n Finally: Obama halts new offshore leases and stumps for climate bill<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe New York Times<\/em> said<\/a> BP chose a casing for the deepwater well that was the
\nriskier of two options, partly because it made “the best economic
\ncase.” Citing a BP document, the Times<\/em> said it was feared that if the
\ncement around the casing pipe chosen by BP did not seal properly, gases could
\nleak all the way to the wellhead, where only a single seal would serve as a
\nbarrier. The other option under consideration would have provided two barriers
\nin case of a gas leak, the Times<\/em> said.<\/p>\n
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