Gulf Restoration Network

Live from the Sea Floor: BP's Oil Drilling Disaster Blog - BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, 20 May 2010 13:36

After much public pressure, and an official request from Representative Edward Markey, BP has released a live video feed of the oil gushing from the ocean floor. You can find the feed in a lot of different locations, but as of this writing, most of them seem to be nonfunctional (presumably because of heavy traffic). When and if it starts working again, you can check it out here.

In related news, BP officials are now acknowledging that the official estimate for the rate at which oil is gushing into the Gulf is too small, but only because they are claiming to be capturing 210,000 gallons (the former official estimate) a day through the mile-long tube inserted into the leaking pipe. BP's spin on this? People should be pleased with how much less oil is spewing into the Gulf, to quote "[i]t's pretty clear that now that we're taking 5,000 barrels [210,000 gallons] of oil a day, there's a significant change in the flow reaching the sea."

It is good news that less oil is spilling into the Gulf every day, but it is also well past time to reassess the official estimate and acknowledge what independent experts have been saying for weeks now - millions of gallons of oil a day are pouring into the Gulf.

Raleigh Hoke is GRN's Mississippi Organizer