The Center for Public Integrity

Coast Guard officials grasped the potential threat of a catastrophic spill within hours of the explosion on board the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, estimating that 8,000 barrels a day of crude oil could possibly gush out of the well in the event of a complete blowout, according to Coast Guard logs.

Over the last eight years, the U.S. government has conducted four major drills to prepare for a massive oil spill, the results of which foreshadowed many of the weaknesses in coordination, communication, expertise, and technology that have plagued the federal response to the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

The worsening BP p.l.c. oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a good reason to revoke the oil giant’s court-ordered probation and plea agreement for a deadly Texas refinery explosion five years ago, lawyers for the refinery victims' families told a federal judge.