Bob Graham Vows To Give BP, Big Oil a Fair Hearing

The U.S. government Thursday demanded that British Petroleum (BP) to make full disclosure in terms of its failed effort to stop an oil Gush, set a 24-hour deadline for BP to publish the data it collected from the "massive" ecological catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.

In a letter to BP chief Tony Hayward, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano wrote about the growing concern that BP's work "has come up short in both scope and effectiveness" to stop crude Gush.

BP has been fighting for a month to stop the enormous good break that spewed more than 5,000 barrels a day - possibly as much as 70,000 barrels - of crude oil into Gulf waters. The well was torn open when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on the 20th April.

"The Deepwater Horizon oil pollution is a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster has already affected the lives and livelihoods of countless people in the Gulf Coast region," Mr. Napolitano wrote.

The letter reflects growing frustration about the BP has been withholding information, including the true extent of the discharge. It took three weeks and massive pressure on BP finally released only an excerpt from the water absorption of Gush last week.

This week, BP declined to allow the claim and made a live video feed available to a Congressional committee investigations leak. The video is available on the Internet, and CNN has been sporadic throughout the day.

Based on continuous video scientists have increased their emission estimates to 70 000 barrels per day. BP has said the 5,000 barrels per day is only an estimate, more important than the size of the leak was to stop it.

"It is important that BP immediately give the U.S. government and the public all the data and information" about loss, "wrote Mr. Napolitano.

The letter gives BP a 24-hour deadline to enter all sampling and monitoring plans, videos, reports from its subcontractors, and the results of internal investigations.

"All information will be posted on a publicly accessible website," the letter saying, adding that the government and the U.S. government was "entitled to nothing less than full disclosure."