KENNER, Louisiana – President Barack Obama says progress apparently is being made in fighting the enormous Gulf oil spill.
But the president says it’s “way too early to be optimistic” about BP’s latest attempt to stanch the spill by capping the well and siphoning off some of the crude oil.
Obama spoke yesterday as he visited Louisiana on Day 45 of the catastrophic spill that’s unleashed tens of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
He criticised BP for spending on advertising and shareholder dividends, saying the company must not do that if it’s “nickelling and diming” local businesses and workers.
Obama got a briefing on the spill and headed to a barrier island to visit local workers affected by the spill.
Meanwhile, waves of gooey tar balls crashed into the white sands of northwestern Florida yesterday as BP engineers adjusted a sophisticated cap over the Gulf oil gusher, trying to collect the crude.
Even though the inverted funnel-like device was set over the leak late on Thursday, crude continued to spew into the sea in the worst United States oil spill. Engineers hoped to close several open vents on the cap throughout the day in the latest attempt to contain the oil. The device started pumping oil and gas to a tanker on the surface overnight, but it wasn’t clear how much.
“Progress is being made, but we need to caution against over-optimism,” said Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the government’s coordinator for the disaster. (AP)
