Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. BP Captures More Oil From Leaking Oil Well VOA News 22 June 2010 Government officials say oil giant BP was able to capture more oil Monday from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico than in any previous 24-hour period since the well was damaged. In a briefing with reporters Tuesday, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said BP captured or burned off nearly 26,000 barrels of oil as of midnight Monday. He says BP hopes to increase its capacity to contain leaking oil from the well to 53,000 barrels per day. The U.S. government has estimated up to 60,000 barrels of oil are leaking from the ruptured well each day. National Incident Commander Thad Allen (File) AP Allen also says officials are closely watching tropical weather in the area and are planning contingencies in the event of a hurricane or other serious storm.  He says it would take three to seven days to disconnect the containment vessels currently working at the site. Admiral Allen also says officials are now considering a worst-case scenario in which oil from the leaking well could be pumped to a currently unused platform via a pipeline. That oil could then either be produced or piped back into an underground reservoir. Meanwhile, a U.S. federal judge is set to rule on whether to lift a six-month government-imposed moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf. U.S. President Barack Obama issued the ban on May 27 in response to the explosion and fire that killed 11 people on the drilling platform and damaged the oil well. Critics of the temporary ban, including oil companies and politicians, say it will put thousands of oil employees out of work and further devastate the region's economy. But a government lawyer told the federal judge in New Orleans Monday the oil rig disaster was a "game-changer" that forced the government to craft and implement new safety procedures. On Monday, the Obama administration sent BP a bill for $51 million for government expenses incurred in the effort to plug the gushing well.  The new invoice lists charges for the costs incurred by federal agencies and several state agencies for responding to the spill. Expenses also include payments to the trust fund set up by the government to reimburse people and businesses for damages resulting from the spill. BP said earlier Monday that it has spent $2 billion responding to the massive oil leak. The company last week agreed to establish a $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the disaster. .