Even as BP said on Wednesday that efforts to contain and clean up oil gushing from a leaking pipe in the Gulf of Mexico have made an “measurable difference”, Louisiana’s Governor, Bobby Jindal announced that thick, heavy oil has begun polluting the state’s wetlands and estuaries, reports CNN.
CNN: Doug Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer for exploration and production, said at a news conference that the company is “very pleased” with the performance of an insertion tube that was put in place over the weekend to suck crude oil from the well and funnel it to a surface vessel.
The flow rate from the tube has reached 3,000 barrels of crude (126,000 gallons) and 14 million cubic feet of gas a day, Suttles said, adding that crews hope to increase those numbers in coming days.
But Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana says that BP’s efforts have not stopped oil from reaching the state’s coastline.
“These are not tar balls, this is not sheen, this is heavy oil that we are seeing in our wetlands,” Jindal said.
Meanwhile, there are news reports that oil has already hit the Gulf Loop and would likely reach the Florida Straits in 5 to 10 days.
