INDReporter

Latest on the Gulf oil spill

by Nathan Stubbs

The ship carrying a containment box, designed to siphon up the majority of a Gulf oil well leak, has arrived at the well site. The ship carrying a containment box, designed to siphon up the majority of a Gulf oil well leak, has arrived at the well site. Today, BP will begin the unprecedented task of lowering the box 5,000 feet under water in hopes of containing approximately 85 percent of the oil currently spilling into the Gulf.

The AP also reports that rapid response teams are now investigating unconfirmed claims that oil has come ashore at the Chandeleur islands off the coast of Louisiana.

The Advocate's Washington bureau reports that, despite the growing severity of the oil spill, Louisiana's Congressional delegation is still firmly in support of offshore drilling, though they are encouraging a review of policy measures to guard against a similar disaster ever happening again.

The Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) is warning that chemicals being used by BP and touted as successful in dispersing oil near the leak site, are "not a magic solution." LEAN notes that dispersed oil droplets that fall to the sea floor still pose a serious risk to marine life and that the chemical dispersants themselves contain toxic components.

CNN begins to analyze what BP's ultimate liability could be for the cleanup, reporting that estimates are now running between $2 billion and $14 billion.