Like a giant–and extremely depressing–version of your gas station gas pump ticker, the website of PBS NewsHour has created a widget that tracks the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico after a deepwater oil rig operated by BP exploded last month, sunk, and triggered an ensuing environmental disaster. (follow our complete coverage of the BP oil spill)
Estimates suggest that between 210,000 gallons and 2.5 million gallons of crude oil are spilling into the Gulf each day from an underground well damaged after the oil-rig explosion. BP said today their bill for the massive spill cleanup effort has reached about $350 million. Meanwhile, the fishing industry and hundreds of businesses along the Gulf coast are taking a financial hit as the oil slick reached the shoreline last week.
Crews are experimenting with methods for plugging the spill, including capping it with a giant concrete dome, but have so far had no luck.
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