"BP crews raced to protect the Gulf of Mexico coastline as a remote sub tried to shut off an underwater oil well gushing 42,000 gallons a day from the site of a wrecked drilling platform.
If crews cannot stop the leak quickly, they might have to drill another well to redirect the oil, a laborious process that could take about two months while oil washes up along a broad stretch of shore, from the white-sand beaches of Florida's Panhandle to the swamps of Louisiana.
The oil, which could reach shore in as little as three days, is escaping from two leaks in a drilling pipe about 5,000 feet below the surface. The spill has grown to more than 1,800 square miles."
The UK Press Association had the story April 27, 2010.
See Also:
"Big Oil Fought Off New Safety Rules Before Rig Explosion" (Huffington Post)
"Oysters, Nesting Birds Face Threat From Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill" (AP)
"Gulf of Mexico oilspill spreads as well leaks" (Reuters)
"Gulf of Mexico oil spill creates environmental and political dilemmas" (Wash Post)
"Nelson requests Senate investigation into oil safety claims" (Bradenton Herald)
"NASA satellite image reveals massive oil spill" (Mongabay.com)
Column: "'Drill, baby, drill' is now 'Spill, baby, spill'" (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
"Oil Leak From Rig Threatens Coast"
Source: Press Association, 04/27/2010
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