BP Siphons 10 Percent of Leak

Taken alone, the 1,800 barrels of oil BP collected in the first 12 hours since it put a cap over the broken well may seem like a lot. But in reality, the oil company’s effort is just scratching the surface. During that time, it siphoned some 76,020 gallons of oil to the surface, which is less than 10 percent of the 798,000 gallons estimated to be gushing into the Gulf of Mexico every day. BP hopes to contain more oil over the weekend when it shuts four vents on top of the cap in put in place Friday. Now, with more oil heading for Gulf Coast shores, the White House has approved a Louisiana plan to build walls of sand offshore. The $360 million bill will be footed by BP—money President Obama certainly does not want heading for BP shareholders.