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Anger grew along the Gulf Coast as an ooze of
oil washed into delicate coastal wetlands in Lousiana, with
residents questioning the federal government and others wondering
how to clean up the monthlong mess that worsens with each day.

      "It's difficult to clean up when you haven't stopped the
source," said Chris Roberts, a councilman for Jefferson Parish,
which stretches from the New Orleans metropolitan area to the
coast. "You can scrape it off the beach but it's coming right
back."

      Roberts surveyed the oil that forced officials to close a public
beach on Grand Isle, south of New Orleans, as globs of crude that
resembled melted chocolate washed up. Others questioned why BP PLC
was still in charge of the response.

      "The government should have stepped in and not just taken BP's
word," declared Wayne Stone of Marathon, Fla., an avid diver who
worries about the spill's effect on the ecosystem.

      The government is overseeing the cleanup and response, but the
official responsible for the oversight said he understands the
discontent.

      "If anybody is frustrated with this response, I would tell them
their symptoms are normal, because I'm frustrated, too," said
Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen. "Nobody likes to have a feeling
that you can't do something about a very big problem."


      As simple as it may seem, the law prevents the government from
just taking over, Allen said. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in
Alaska, Congress dictated that oil companies be responsible for
dealing with major accidents - including paying for all cleanup -
with oversight by federal agencies.

      BP, which is in charge of the cleanup, said it will be at least
Tuesday before engineers can shoot mud into the blown-out well at
the bottom of the Gulf, yet another delay in the effort to stop the
oil.


      A so-called "top kill" has been tried on land but never 5,000
feet underwater, so scientists and engineers have spent the past
week preparing and taking measurements to make sure it will stop
the oil that has been spewing into the sea for a month. They
originally hoped to try it as early as this weekend.


      BP spokesman Tom Mueller said there was no snag in the
preparations, but that the company must get equipment in place and
finish tests before the procedure can begin.

      "It's taking time to get everything set up," he said.
"They're taking their time. It's never been done before. We've got
to make sure everything is right."


      Crews will shoot heavy mud into a crippled piece of equipment
atop the well, which started spewing after the drilling rig
Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20 off the coast of Louisiana,
killing 11 workers. Then engineers will direct cement at the well
to permanently stop the oil.


      BP, which was leasing the rig and is responsible for the
cleanup, has tried and failed several times to halt the oil.


      Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said Friday that a
mile-long tube inserted into the leaking pipe is sucking about
92,400 gallons of oil a day to the surface, a figure much lower
than the 210,000 gallons a day the company said the tube was
sucking up Thursday. Suttles said the higher number is the most the
tube has been sucking up at any one time, while the lower number is
the average.


      The company has conceded that more oil is leaking than its
initial estimate of 210,000 gallons a day total, and a government
team is working to get a handle on exactly how much is flowing.
Even under the most conservative estimate, about 6 million gallons
have leaked so far, more than half the amount spilled by the Exxon
Valdez.


      Frustrated local and state officials were also waiting for the
Army Corps of Engineers to issue permits so they can build sand
berms in front of islands and wetlands to act as buffers between
the advancing oil and the wetlands.

      In a statement Friday, corps spokesman Ken Holder said officials
understand the urgency, but possible environmental effects must be
evaluated before even an emergency permit can be issued.

      Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry also took BP to task for not
responding aggressively enough to oil coming ashore in Terrebonne
Parish, La., to the west of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

      Public interest in the spill is high - after lawmakers pressed
BP for a live video feed of the leak this week, so many people
tried to view it that they crashed the government Web site where it
was posted.

      BP executives say the only guaranteed solution to stop the leak
is a pair of relief wells crews have already started drilling, but
the work will not be complete for at least two months.

      That makes the stakes even higher for the top kill.

      Scientists say there is a chance a misfire could lead to new
problems. Ed Overton, a Louisiana State University professor of
environmental studies, said the crippled piece of equipment called
a blowout preventer could spring a new leak that could spew untold
gallons of oil if there's a weak spot that is vulnerable to
pressure from the heavy mud.


      BP is also developing several other plans in case the top kill
doesn't work, including an effort to shoot knotted rope, pieces of
tire and other material - known as a junk shot - to plug the
blowout preventer, which was meant to shut off the oil in case of
an accident but did not work.


      Associated Press writers Matthew Daly in Washington and Kevin
McGill in New Orleans contributed to this report.
      ---
      Online:
      http://globalwarming.house.gov/spillcam
      
      (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Gallery

Environmental News

Anger grew along the Gulf Coast as an ooze of
oil washed into delicate coastal wetlands in Lousiana, with
residents questioning the federal government and others wondering
how to clean up the monthlong mess that worsens with each day.


Oil near the mouth of the Mississippi River

Frustration mounts as oil seeps into Gulf wetlands

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