WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ) - BP and the federal government are doing everything possible to stop the massive oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico. So said Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen in a White House briefing.
Allen, who is overseeing the federal response to the Gulf spill, insisted that BP is the responsible party. Allen was pressed about why the federal government doesn't push BP out of the way and take over. He said the government does not have the equipment necessary to control the spill. President Obama is expected to get a preliminary federal report on the Gulf disaster Thursday.
Allen said the spill continues to be omnidirectional and he called it unprecedented. Allen and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs acknowledged growing frustration with BP and said the government is pushing the company hard to stop the leak and clean up the mess.
11 workers were killed when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded last month. Oil has been gushing from the ocean floor ever since, prompting growing fears of an ecological and economic catastrophe along the Gulf Coast.
Meantime, White House environmental advisor Carol Browner said the EPA continues to test the toxicity of oil dispersants that have been deployed in the Gulf.
On a related issue, Gibbs scoffed at unnamed "pundits" who have suggested that the BP disaster was plotted by the Obama administration. Gibbs joked that drivers need licenses to operate motor vehicles, but he said anyone can say anything on TV.
