New Gulf oil leak figure: 100,000 bpd
Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:46:01 GMT
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The actual amount of oil pouring from the ruptured well into the sea has been a matter of considerable controversy since the spill began on April 20.
New figures indicate that up to 100,000 barrels of oil a day may be gushing into the sea from BP's blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

Representative Ed Markey, chairman of the energy and environment subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the US House of Representatives, released an internal BP document on Sunday that revealed the new figure which is considerably more than announced earlier.

The actual amount of oil being released from the well has been a matter of controversy with BP being accused of deliberately understating the leakage rate.

"This document raises very troubling questions about what BP knew and when they knew it," Reuters quoted Markey as saying.

"It is clear that, from the beginning, BP has not been straightforward with the government or the American people about the true size of this spill. Now the families living and working in the Gulf are suffering from their incompetence," he emphasized.

More than 60 days into the Gulf oil spill disaster, BP has still not been able to contain the gusher at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

BP's CEO Tony Hayward drew the ire of many Gulf coast residents Saturday when it became public that he took time off to go boating with his son instead of dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Millions of gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig exploded on April 20, Killing 11 workers and blowing out the well.