Mouth Of the Mississippi River: As the worst US oil spill in decades began endangering the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico coast, documents emerged showing that British Petroleum downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at the offshore rig that exploded.
In its 2009 exploration plan and environmental impact analysis for the well, BP suggested it was unlikely, or virtually impossible, for an accident to occur.
However, at least 1.6 million gallons (6 million litters) of oil have spilled so far since the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers, according to Coast Guard estimates.
Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, held a conference call with governors from the relevant states and BP to plan efforts to stop the oil leak.
