As contractors mobilized to berm Louisiana’s shoreline to protect its wetlands from oil gushing out of a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico, the nation focused on the plan’s chances for success, the disaster’s economic and environmental consequences, and the future of the region’s offshore oil industry.
BP made a $60-million payment on June 7 so that Louisiana can start the berms. BP is on the hook for the total $360-million estimated cost.