Senator Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, has called for BP to pay out USD 1 billion to Gulf Coast restoration projects. (Photo: Landrieu.senate.gov)

Gulf oil spill may run until August

UNITED STATES
Tuesday, June 01, 2010, 03:40 (GMT + 9)

US Government and British Petroleum (BP) officials have warned that the exploded oil well spewing unprecedented amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico may not be stopped until August. BP is currently beginning preparations on a new effort to capture the gush of oil.

Monday marks the 42nd day of the environmental disaster. It is the biggest oil spill in US history and officials are deeming it the country's principal environmental tragedy.

BP tried this weekend – and failed – to seal the well with the "top kill" operation, Reuters reports.

"There's no doubt that the ultimate solution lies on the relief well, which is in August," BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said.

The drilling of two relief wells started this month as a pricey but dependable way to intercept and check the leaking well that broke with a rig explosion on 20 April that killed several BP workers.

Hayward said that meanwhile, BP must "be in the mind-set of containment in the sub-sea, containment on the surface and defending the shoreline, in a very aggressive way."

Senator Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, is asking BP to commit USD 1 billion to Gulf Coast projects to restore spoiled marsh and wetlands, reports Nola.com.

"Half of that money should go to short-term projects that can bolster the protection of the Louisiana coast within the next 30-90 days," she said. "The other half can be divided up among Gulf Coast states based on the immediate threat posed by oil spewing from the well."

President Barack Obama's administration has seen a deluge of criticism blaming it of a slow response to the crisis.

BP is now getting a containment cap ready to place on top of a lower marine riser package (LMRP), a piece of gear that sits atop the failed blowout preventer at the seabed 1 mi below the water’s surface.

The company will begin cutting a pipe that emerges from the LMRP early this week, the White House said.

At least some of the leaking oil could be piped to the surface if the strategy works, which BP expects to find out this week.

Thus far, more than 20 per cent of federal waters have been closed to fishing activities, leaving many fishers out of business.

The US Coast Guard (USCG) established five washing stations for ships to get scrubbed if they become dirty with the oil, although thus far none have been used, according to a port spokesman, CNNMoney reports.

President of the Louisiana Shrimpers Association Clint Guidry lamented the fishing ban, as this year's harvest was supposed to be the best since 2000.

Meanwhile, Maryland is seeing increasing oyster and domestic shrimp prices and crab shortages were expected to be greater than normal for Memorial Day weekend. Louisiana is the country’s leading supplier of domestic shellfish.

Related articles:

- NOAA on the move to help tackle oil spill in Gulf
- Gulf of Mexico fishing ban extended
- More Gulf fishing banned as oil fears grow for Florida

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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