May 11th, 2010
10:58 AM ET

Gulf oil spill: Where things stand, what comes next

As congressional hearings into the massive oil spill growing in the Gulf of Mexico begin this morning, the troubles in the water keep on going.

The undersea oil well, following a drilling rig's April 20 explosion 50 miles off Louisiana's coast, is spewing up to 210,000 gallons of light sweet crude a day into the Gulf, officials say, and so far there's no answer in sight on how to fix it.

So we'll try to break down a couple of things for you and share what we do know.

So where do things stand?

The massive effort to cap the leak failed at the weekend, dashing high hopes that the four-story containment dome would solve the problem. However, before the effort began officials had cautioned that the risky operation had never been tried at such a depth.

To make matters worse a wind shift could push more oil from BP's Deepwaters Deepwater Horizon gusher into the Mississippi Delta and areas west of the river, which is "bad news for Louisiana," Gov. Bobby Jindal said. Louisiana has been mostly spared since the oil rig exploded April 20 and sank two days later about 50 miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana.

As the oil slick spreads, the threat to wildlife, the seafood and tourism industries and people's overall livelihood continues to grow.

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For restaurant owner Bob Pope, the oil slick represents a massive threat. And from someone who has been through Hurricane Katrina, he expects this may end up worse.

"With hurricanes, we know what to expect," Pope says. "They're either gonna be bad or worse, tear you up a little bit and go again. This can go any which way."

Everyone, he says, is waiting to see whether the oil slick ends up being an irritant to the community or "a devastating glob of something that just kills the area."

So what are the options now?

After the dome option failed BP is being forced to on to other options, including the use of a smaller chamber over the leak and shooting garbage into the gaping hole to try to plug the gusher.

The company also is considering placing a valve or a new blowout preventer on top of the existing one, which is not functioning, Suttles told CNN's "American Morning" program. As the name suggests, a blowout preventer is a device that is supposed to clamp shut over a leaking wellhead.

It is hard to get a feeling for how bad things are deep below the ocean surface - BP is keeping its own cap of sorts - on a video of the oil leak.

The only thing we do know is we will hopefully get some answers as to what caused the massive problem and how it can be fixed when executives face tough questioning from Congress, which we'll be carrying live.

Senators are expected to quiz officials about the precautions taken before the blast that set off the underwater gusher and the steps being taken to stop the spill. Experts also are expected to testify on the possible impact of the spill on fishing, tourism and local economies.

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Filed under: Gulf Coast Oil Spill • Gulf Coast Oil Spill economics • Gulf Coast Oil Spill environment • Gulf Coast Oil Spill politics
soundoff (83 Responses)
  1. oil leak recomendations

    May 11th, 2010
    11:33 am ET

    hello world

    quote "no answer in sight or how to fix it"

    ANSWER / FIX IT :

    START PUMPING OFF SURFACE OIL AND SEAL LEAK WITH EXPLOSIVES

    dome is not necessary and wasting time – oil floats to surface and can be pumped into tankers/barges –

    employ a flottilla of existing tankers/barges starting at epicenter of shaft leak to recover (pump skim off surface oil)

    possible "stop leak" would be explosion deep in old shaft

    thank you

    Michael Gruters – former faculty physics Princeton late 60'

    p.s. the use of dispersing chemicals make surface removal impossible and poisons the sea – really stupid....

    it is not proposed to use "hair" skimmers, but hoses that submerge and as water/oil mix is pumped into tanker/barge it is replaced by same.
    there are many tankers/barges currently in service to other gulf rigs.
    as the tanker hold fills separated water from the bottom is pumped back.
    there are single super-tankers that can hold the total spill.
    many tankers can be used and return to refineries

    p.p.s is this story being covered anymore on CNN or NY Times – maybe when oil hits the Hamptons

    P.P.P.S EPA AGENT RECOMMENDED PLAN B – USE OF DISPERSANTS ????

    May 12, 2010 at 8:15 am | Report abuse |
  2. john

    To Rusty:

    "why don't they just drop down a huge pipe in between the pipe with the hole which it would block the huge hole..."?

    Well, because we are not being told nothing about what really happens. There are no facts (with all these ships,
    submarines, sonars etc. one should have more information than what is being given). With the information
    available, it is difficult to seek a solution. And I don't believe that two weeks after BP does not have the details.

    Apart: the silence of the media is deafening. No words for Greenpeace, WWF ecc. So eager to trumpet about
    the horrible disasters by China, Russia etc., so silent now.

    May 12, 2010 at 9:41 am | Report abuse |
  3. vicki

    for anyone wishing more information:

    IXTOC I OIL SPILL ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY 1982

    http://www.gomr.mms.gov/PI/PDFImages/ESPIS/3/3930.pdf

    May 12, 2010 at 12:27 pm | Report abuse |
  4. vicki

    an overall impact study

    http://invertebrates.si.edu/mms/reports/IXTOC_exec.pdf

    May 12, 2010 at 12:55 pm | Report abuse |
  5. vicki

    up-to-date information on current spill can be found at

    noaa.gov

    including a trajectory forecast at

    http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/1968_TMF24-2010-05-11-2000.pdf

    May 12, 2010 at 1:02 pm | Report abuse |
  6. PETER JONES

    DID YOU GET MY COMMENT–LEFT AFTER NO 65

    PLEASE ADVISE PETER H JONES

    May 12, 2010 at 8:51 pm | Report abuse |
  7. PETER JONES

    MY PREVIOUS COMMENT WAS NOT POSTED–IS IT BECAUSE
    YOU DO NOT BELIEVE IN WEATHER CONTROL? IT HAS
    ONLY BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER 50 YEARS, IN A SERIOUS WAY.
    I WILL TRY AGAIN–A SYSTEM OF WEATHER CONTROL WAS INITIATED ON 5/09/10, TO TRY AND REVERSE THE PREVAILING
    SE WINDS IN THE GULF. IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, THE OIL
    SLICK WILL BE DRIVEN AWAY FROM THE NORTH SHORE. WE WILL THEN-STILL USING ADVANCED –NIKOLA TESLA–SCIECE
    ATTEMPT TO CORRAL THE OIL. THIS WILL 1–PREVENT THE FORTHCOMING DISASTER, AND 2-GIVE BP–ASIDE FROM COSTING
    THEM BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CLAIMS–GIVE THEM MORE TIME
    TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM–YOUR PRAYERS WILL BE GREATLY
    APPRECIATED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PJ.

    May 12, 2010 at 9:05 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Ravi

    Shooting golf balls and tires is the dumbest idea anyone can think off. The CONTAINMENT DOME should work, but if small ice clusters and sea weeds obstruct the flow, BP can install couple of choppers near the narrow exit. Water proof choppers can be made...no big deal.

    May 13, 2010 at 1:44 am | Report abuse |
  9. kathy

    Let's fix the leak then concern ourselves with why this happened, shall we???!!!!

    Not much talk about the clean up efforts taking place now – what IS taking place?????? In the news today: skim the surface with super tankers. Very effective apparently and no need to make matters worse then with chemical dispersements. STOP the chemical dispersements, BRING in the SUPER TANKERS!!!!!!!!!!! Why wasn't a replacement valve to shut off the oil flow one of the 1st things tried????

    This is exasperating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    May 13, 2010 at 9:36 am | Report abuse |
  10. ILIKETHISGUY

    listen it's so simple make a giant pail and scoop the water up and put it in a big filter. Then you put the water back in the ocean and then they can sell the salty oil!

    May 13, 2010 at 9:41 pm | Report abuse |
  11. musicmonster51

    Sink a large ship on it or use a small nuclear or large conventional bomb to close the well. Can't see why our very costly U.S. Navy can't get some kind of sub down there to do the mechanical work the little sub BP has can't. Where's the Global Explorer when we need it?

    May 14, 2010 at 2:11 am | Report abuse |
  12. musicmonster51

    Sink a large ship on it or use a small nuclear or large conventional bomb to close the well. Can't see why our very costly U.S. Navy can't get some kind of sub down there to do the mechanical work the little sub BP has can't. Where's the Global Explorer when we need it?
    Put a bunch of think tank types in a hotel and tell them they can't leave till they've found a solution. Same with Congress. Constant sessions w/o breaks while this goes on.
    Biden can live down there till this is over.
    DO SOMETHING!!

    May 14, 2010 at 2:18 am | Report abuse |
  13. Craig N. Barthelmas

    Subject: PRO-ACTIVE OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLAN, Dated: Wed, 5 May, 2010

    TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN; We will make this statement brief since we know that no one to date has been listening.

    1. We found a pre-processed material and developed an action plan that would have extracted up to 95% of the oil spill contaminants from the surface waters of the Gulf of Mexico, before it hit land fall.
    2. Our product was a, “Modified Oil Spill Environmental Sponge” dubbed M.O.S.E.S., it is a ¼” to ½” product that could be used to absorb oil contaminants from both “fresh water and salt water” surface oil spills. Our tests have concluded that one ton of product will absorb 125 gallons of oil in less than one hour. Simply put it will absorb approximately one half of its weight in oil. M.O.S.E.S. collects/absorbs oil not water. After saturation M.O.S.E.S. will only contain about 1.4% water. It creates no added impact on marine life or the environment. It also poses no threat to other kinds of wildlife including humans. A fifteen minute test would have proven this process.
    3. Our plan was full circle and would have included staging, seeding, re-claiming and re-processing all of the contaminated oil’s and seed materials back into re-usable fuels and commodities.
    4. Due to the urgencies to reduce the impact on the environment and the magnitude of this spill, our plan would require partnering with the Coast Guard and other organizations that were already being used to provide staging, seeding and reclaim operations.
    5. Seeding operations would have been handled in essentially the same way they were being done, with minor and/or no modifications to airborne or aquatic equipment that would handle spreading ¼” to ½” particulates.
    6. Re-claim operations required the same booms, scoops, pumps and barge operations, that were being used.
    7. Re-processing operations proposed a permanent emissions free plant for processing oil, sand and other like materials into re-usable fuels and commodities. The plant would take approximately ninety to one hundred and fifty days to construct and would become a permanent part of the states fast action response to future oil spills.
    8. Our plan would have first, assisted with the on-going damage control operations in the gulf; second, it could have been put into operation within seven days; third, it would have become a $30,000,000.00 per year financial benefit to the communities that embraced staging and plant processing operations.
    9. This plan would have greatly reduced the time and costs associated with this kind of oil spill in the future. We are confident that this type of pro-active plan would have become a template for other high risk (oceanic) areas.
    So, why was this plan given no consideration at all? It is not a question of if another spill will happen but when. The only excuses we have been able to come up with that, we are sure you are going to here are, as follows:
    a. BP the News Network and Government Agencies didn’t have the time to consider a pro-active long term plan?
    b. “We are all crack pots” when, this technology is patented and the product could be tested in fifteen minutes?
    c. “BP has it under control as they have done this before?” We think, crazy is doing the same things over and over again expecting different results! We need to get past these smoke screens and prepare for the future.
    Thank you for your time and consideration. We would love to receive some constructive input.
    Craig N. Barthelmas, Cell: [313] 682-1428, E-Mail: GE1RE22@aol.com
    CC: BP., CNN, FOX 2, NOAA, Governors of: AL., FL., LA., MS., And TX.

    May 15, 2010 at 12:05 pm | Report abuse |
  14. john boy

    they are just playing games with us. to say they cant show a video is b.s this is a trillion doller comp
    with thousands of employes. there is somthing really bad goin on........

    May 20, 2010 at 11:42 am | Report abuse |
  15. Craig N. Barthelmas

    ATTENTION!! The PRO-ACTIVE OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLAN listed above will not plug oil leaks but, it will address five major problems; two of witch, are concerns that have not been addressed in the media or in the government.
    1. It truly is a LONG TERM-CONTINGENCY PLAN. It will help the community rebuild revenues while providing a fast action operational plan for future oil spills. Yes! Future oil spills will surely occur, despite future prevention efforts!
    2. This plan is full circle and would included staging, seeding, re-claiming and re-processing all of the contaminated oil’s, oil filled sands and seed materials back into re-usable fuels and commodities.
    3. It creates no added impact on marine life or the environment. It also poses no threat to humans and/or other forms of wildlife. Oil, feed stock and sand processing are near emissions free processes.
    4. It will generate $30,000,000.00 worth of new revenues for the communities that embrace staging and plant processing operations. The plant would remain in full operation after the clean-up is done.
    5. It will also add about forty new jobs to the community. This is not only a plan to help with short term clean up’s, it will also have a positive long term and lasting effect on the community as well.
    We all know that BP has been feeding us misinformation and then trying to mobilize volunteers to help minimize their cost. Yes! We sent BP and other agencies this plan. Operations of this nature have a price tag associated with them and so, it would appear that they have no wish to spend anything on spills they can’t control or that won’t go back into their pockets. The OMRS-100 technology is patented and, M.O.S.E.S. (The oil absorbent) can be tested in less than fifteen minutes!
    As always our government is seeking a short term quickie (political talk) so we can get a long term scr**ing! Has anyone mentioned where they (BP) plan to put and/or dispose of all of that contaminated; oil, sand and material? We are pretty sure that without intervention it will be in somebody’s back yard, neatly hidden from sight, killing something else. Don’t you think that any oil spill plan should at least consider: Prevention, Mobilization, Extraction and Disposal Operations?
    Thank you for your time. We would love to receive some constructive input from anyone who is as concerned as we are.
    Craig N. Barthelmas, Verizon Cell: [313] 682-1428, E-Mail: GE1RE22@aol.com

    May 20, 2010 at 11:43 am | Report abuse |
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