Oil spill Gulf in Mexico(video)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday an oil spill in Gulf of Mexico is a disaster of “national significance,” and the government is working to minimize its effect.
Napolitano also said that British oil giant BP, which leases the Deepwater Horizon platform that sank into the ocean last week, should be responsible for the damage.
“As the president and the law made clear, BP is the responsible party.
It is required to fund the cost of the response and clean- up operations,” she said with other top officials at a special White house briefing on the oil spill that might cause environmental disaster if not well addressed.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs meanwhile told reporters that President Barack Obama received a 20-minute update on the spill at his daily briefing in the Oval Office.
“We will use all available resources, possibly including those at the Department of Defense,” said Gibbs.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on Thursday declared a state of emergency due to the oil spill that could be disastrous for the state’s coastal environment and fisheries industry.
The declaration enables the state to ask for more federal aid and mobilize state resources to better prepare for the potential catastrophe.
An explosion occurred last Tuesday at the Deepwater Horizon rig off the Louisiana coast. 11 workers were presumed dead. The Coast Guard initially said no oil appeared to be fleeing from the well on the ocean floor, but officials found oil was leaking Saturday.
According to the Coast Guard, approximately 5,000 barrels of oil is spilling from the rig into the Gulf of Mexico a day — five times BP’s earlier estimate.
TODAY 01.05.2010
The race is on to stop the Louisiana oil leak becoming the worst in US history. Experts now say the oil well is spilling 5,000 barrels a day, equivalent to 800,000 litres. A state of emergency has now been declared, as the slick is likely to have a devastating effect on the seabirds and marine life that inhabit those waters.
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John O'Rourke on Sat, 1st May 2010 2:14 am
Why can’t they lower a new drill pipe with a wide funnel (say 100 feet wide at its mouth) to capture a majority of the oil that is flowing out of the broken pipe?
laimisk on Sat, 1st May 2010 6:50 am
Hi, top comment is good
mis on Sat, 1st May 2010 2:09 pm
Louisiana oil spill five times worse than first thought