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United States News Title: Gulf spill could reach delta tonight BP seeks military technology as oil moves near coast A federal official said this afternoon that the leading edge of the Gulf oil slick could reach the Mississippi River delta sometime tonight, and an executive said BP has asked the Department of Defense for technical help. In Washington, lawmakers raised the heat on the offshore energy industry, although the Obama administration stopped short today of backing off its commitment to expanded drilling. The White House dispatched top officials from the Homeland Security Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department to the Gulf Coast, and President Barack Obama today called the five Gulf Coast state governors to emphasize the federal government's support and concern about the spill. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, added her voice to the growing chorus seeking a broad congressional investigation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, calling today for a "full investigation by the Congress." Rep. Edward J. Markey , D-Mass., summoned the heads of America's top five oil companies to appear before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which Markey chairs. And House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall, D-W.V., said he will conduct a hearing next month on the "implications of the Deepwater Horizon Rig Explosion." At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said the cause of the oil rig explosion, still not determined, could affect what areas the government would open for future drilling. But Gibbs and other officials said President Barack Obama remains committed to plans to expand offshore drilling to areas that now are off limits. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard continued efforts to contain the spill and BP fought to stop three leaks that were spilling as much as 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration spokesman Charles Henry said that as of this morning, part of the slick was about 3 miles from the Louisiana shore. Federal agency heads reiterated that the entire cleanup bill will be BP's, and Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said BP also should foot the costs to state agencies. "We will be sending a bill to BP at some point," Jackson said. BP said it would call on assistance from Shell, Chevron and Anadarko to help in capping the well, while experimenting with dumping chemical dispersants at three leak sources in an effort to keep it from adding to the growing slick on the surface. "Weve invited the biggest oil and gas companies to bring their best expert to sit next to ours and make sure we haven't missed anything," chief operating officer for exploration and production with BP. Suttles also said at a briefing this afternoon that BP has asked the Defense Department to provide imaging techniques and remote operating vehicles that might not be available commercially. Earlier, BP did get some praise for its collaboration on the recovery effort from Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice O'Hare. "Our responsible party has shown willingness, they've shown resolve, they've shown accommodation of what the government has asked of them," she said. "We will not let up on our vigilance ... to make sure they continue to bring everything possible to bear to manage this spill response (and protect) fragile ecosystems." The Interior Department said it is stepping up safety inspections and working with energy company officials to decide short-term, immediate safety steps that should be taken in light of the incident. Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes today said that the agency had deployed 55 inspectors in the Gulf Coast area. The Deepwater Horizon rig, which started drilling near Louisiana in January, had been subject to monthly inspections by the government, with the last one occurring less than two weeks before the incident, Hayes said. In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency so officials could begin preparing for the oil's impact, and crews continued loading and deploying booms to contain at least some of the oil heading for coasts wetlands and fisheries. In Venice, about 75 miles from New Orleans and not far from the mouth of the Mississippi River, local officials expressed frustration with the pace of the government's response and the communication they were getting from the Coast Guard and BP officials. "We're not doing everything we can do," said Billy Nungesser, president of Plaquemines Parish, which straddles the Mississippi River at the tip of Louisiana. "Give us the worst-case scenario. How far inland is this supposed to go?" Nungesser was quoted by the Associated Press. He has suggested enlisting the local fishing fleet to spread booms to halt the oil, which threatens some of the nation's most fertile seafood grounds. Louisiana has opened a special shrimp season along parts of the coast so shrimpers can harvest the profitable white shrimp before the spill has an effect. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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#1. To: WhiteSands (#0)
Absolutely a horrid situation... Godspeed to those working on a fix and recovery.
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