Here's a roundup of news and information related to BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including word from Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) that BP CEO Tony Hayward would not commit to paying for economic damages beyond the company's $75 million liability limit. Here's video of Nelson, along with a brief interview of Hayward from CNN (transcript):
In other news:
- The first tar balls began washing ashore on Alabama's Dauphin Island, and business owners there say cancellation are high and tourism has slowed to a trickle.
- The first attempt to stop the spill with a "containment box" failed -- ice-like gas hydrates formed more quickly than BP had anticipated, essentially clogging up box's exit valve, making it impossible to connect a pipe to suck up the oil and gas from the well.
- BP is now preparing a second, smaller containment box in an attempt to take another shot at stopping the flow of oil. It is also considering what it calls a "kill shot" which would attempt to clog the leak by injecting a high volume of drilling mud and other objects (including golf balls and tire shards) to clog the spewing pipe. The problem is that the kill shot could also make matters worse, potentially increasing the flow of oil to 60,000 barrels per day. (To put that in perspective, 60,000 barrels would amount to a Valdez-sized spill every 5 days.)
- According to the same article, about 310,000 gallons of dispersant have been used, and about 90,000 barrels of oil/water mix have been collected. About 10% of that mixture is oil, so roughly 9,000 barrels of oil have been reclaimed.
- Oil may be the biggest problem from the spill, but the chemical dispersants used to break up the oil are problematic too. BP has won approval to continuously spray the dispersant chemicals to attempt to control the spread of oil.
- The spill is moving west, increasing the threat to Gulf Coast fishing. In response, Lousiana is closing more areas to fishing.
- How big is BP's oil spill? Get a point of reference by comparing it to the size of your city and other locations.
- BP says the spill has cost it $350 million so far. Of course, that figure doesn't yet include any economic damage caused by BP to other businesses.
- A shareholder has filed suit against BP over the spill, accusing the oil giant of ignoring safety.
- NOAA forecasts for the spill trajectory.
- Even if BP does pay economic damages, what about the damage it has done recreational users of the Gulf of Mexico?
- BP does not have a good safety record.
- What went wrong with Deepwater Horizon? Reports from those the scene.