BP Readies 'Top Kill' Solution

At least BP is being honest about how junky all its solutions are? The tube inserted into the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has fallen for the second day in a row, collecting only 47,040 gallons of oil after collecting 92,400 on Friday. Meanwhile, the company is saying that its plan to “top kill” the well—that is, clog it with heavy mud and then seal it with cement—has a 60 to 70 percent chance of success. Even if it works, it will be too late for much of Louisiana’s wildlife: The Associated Press says the oil washing into Louisiana’s wetlands “could prove impossible to remove.” More than 50 miles of shoreline is polluted, and brown pelicans—which were removed from the protected species list six months ago—have been seen covered in oil and unable to fly. Environmental officials are considering flooding or burning the wetlands in order to remove the oil.