Disasters

"Three words: oil-soaked shorebirds."

"The US government made its first major moves on Apr. 27 in response to the Apr. 20 explosion and fire on the Transocean Ltd. Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible rig in the Gulf of Mexico as the Departments of Interior and Homeland Security launched a joint investigation."

"Gov. Bobby Jindal [Thursday] morning issued a declaration of emergency stemming from the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico."

"Lawmakers on Tuesday asked the owner and operator of the oil rig that exploded last week in the Gulf of Mexico for documents as part of a congressional investigation into the accident."

"US President Barack Obama has said 'every single available resource' of government will be deployed to help contain the Gulf Coast oil leak."

"A top adviser to President Barack Obama  says no new oil drilling will be authorized until authorities learn what caused the explosion of the rig Deepwater Horizon."

"Oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico was starting to ooze ashore, threatening migrating birds, nesting pelicans and even river otters and mink along Louisiana's fragile islands and barrier marshes."

"The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs has canceled the developer's lease of Passamaquoddy tribal land in Maine where the company wanted to build a liquefied natural gas terminal."

A congressional hearing Wednesday highlighted the environmental dangers of the 100,000 trailer FEMA has sold, but there is apparently little Congress can do about it.

"As a sheen of oil moved closer to the Louisiana coast Wednesday, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revised their estimates of the amount of oil that has been leaking from the oil well from 1,000 barrels a day to up to 5,000 barrels a day."