PHOTO BY TED JACKSON The M/V Joe Griffin leaves from the Martin Terminal, Port Fouchon loaded with the first of two oil containment cofferdams, headed to sea for a projected 12 hour trip to the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Wednesday, May 5, 2010.

The Worst Environmental Catastrophe in U.S. History

It’s hard to keep up with news on the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, but here is some from today.  The oil is now washing up on islands and beaches, and according to news reports tonight, the oil is coating jellyfish and is visible in the water where dolphins were seen swimming.  It only take a tiny amount of oil to kill a bird and other animals in the oceans.  If drilling for oil is threatening life in the oceans, it’s affecting our lives too, so it makes sense to call for a moratorium on all offshore drilling. Just stop it completely.

BP significantly ups oil spill estimate

Steve Gelsi of MarketWatch reports that in a closed-door meeting with Congress, BP officials have significantly raised the estimated leakage from the Oil Spill. Although the earlier number estimated approximately 5,000 barrels of Crude Oil were spewing into the ocean, BP officials now peg the daily output around 60,000 barrels a day. Reports MarketWatch: BP officials said the larger figure represents a worst-case scenario. BP spokesman Toby Odone declined to comment on the 60,000 barrel…

Reports MarketWatch: “BP officials said the larger figure represents a worst-case scenario. BP spokesman Toby Odone declined to comment on the 60,000 barrel figure, which was reported by The New York Times. The official tally remains up to 5,000 barrels a day, he said.

Meanwhile the Obama administration signaled it would support a fresh push in Congress to raise the oil spill liability limit to $10 billion from $75 million, according to reports.

The existing cap on other damages is included in the Oil Pollution Act. BP has already said it is willing and expects to pay more than $74 million.

Amidst recent fears that the oil slick may even reach the coast of Florida, authorities have stepped up efforts to prevent such consequences. . . . “

From Dallas News — The Senate energy committee has summoned executives from BP and Transocean, the company contracted by BP to drill the well, as well as a number of oil industry technical experts, to a hearing next week. The next day, the oversight and investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing, at which top executives of BP, Transocean and Halliburton have been asked to appear, a committee spokeswoman said.

A separate federal investigation into the explosion [...]