The White House has pledged that it will use all available resources to contain a massive oil slick caused by a deadly rig explosion that threatens the shoreline of four Gulf states and could take as long as 90 days to stop. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:
"The administration will continue to be aggressive in our response and we will use all available resources, possibly including those at the Department of Defense to see if there are technologies that might be used that surpass the capabilities of the commercial and private sector.
Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, who will be heading to the Gulf Coast, called the spill an event of national significance. She also said the government would be closely watching BP's response to the explosion of its rig.
"We will continue to push BP to engage in the strongest response possible, and we will continue to oversee their efforts.
11 workers are missing and presumed dead after last week's worst oil rig disaster in almost a decade, when a BP oil drilling rig exploded in the US Gulf of Mexico
The leak from the well blowout is now estimated at 5000 barrels per day -- five times what was previously thought. Officials say it could be 90 days before a relief valve is installed to stop the leak. The spill is expected to hit the shoreline sometime on Friday
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.
