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.


US Approves Building of Berms Off Louisiana Coast

   VOA News 03 June 2010
   Louisiana  Gov.  Bobby  Jindal  points  to  oil  spill  as he talks to
   reporters  during  a  tour  of  the  site  where  workers are building
   barriers  to  keep  oil  from  entering  wetlands near Grand Isle, La.
   (File)

Photo: AP

   Louisiana  Gov.  Bobby  Jindal  points  to  oil  spill  as he talks to
   reporters  during  tour of site where workers are building barriers to
   keep oil from entering wetlands near Grand Isle, La. (File)

   The  U.S.  government  has  approved  a plan for the southern state of
   Louisiana to construct a series of sand berms, or barriers, to protect
   marshland from the spreading Gulf of Mexico oil slick.
   In  a  statement  late  Wednesday, National Incident Commander Admiral
   Thad  Allen  directed  oil giant BP to pay for the construction of the
   berms.  Louisiana  Governor Bobby Jindal and other state officials had
   been  pushing  for  the  berms  as  a last ditch effort to protect the
   area's sensitive wetlands.
   Meanwhile,  BP's latest effort to stop the massive oil leak suffered a
   setback  Wednesday when the diamond-edge saw being used to cut off the
   broken  pipe got stuck.  It took hours to free it, and the company is
   now using shears to cut the pipe.
   Officials  say this will mean the cut will not be as clean as had been
   hoped,   and   it   will  require  installation  of  a  looser-fitting
   containment device, known as a top hat.

   Live feed from remotely operated vehicles - BP p.l.c.

   [EMBED]
   BP  has  been fighting to contain the spill for six weeks.  It is now
   the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Â
   The   widening  slick  is  approaching  the  southern  U.S.  state  of
   Florida.   The  latest projections show the oil is several kilometers
   from Florida's beaches.
   Oil  has already come ashore in the southern Gulf states of Louisiana,
   Alabama   and  Mississippi,  threatening  the  region's  wildlife  and
   commerce.
   New  satellite  imagery  from the University of Miami Wednesday showed
   the  oil  slick  is  now  almost  the  size  of the state of Maryland,
   stretching across more than 24,000 square kilometers of the Gulf.
   Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich has been calling for the U.S.
   government to put BP's U.S. operations under receivership, meaning the
   government  would  take  temporary control of the company to deal with
   the spill.
   Oil began spewing into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after the Deep Water
   Horizon  drilling rig, which was operated by BP, exploded on April 20,
   killing 11 workers.  The rig sank two days later.
   BP  is  digging  two  emergency  relief  wells  to  help seal the leak
   permanently, but those will not be finished until August.
   Emergency  crews  have  deployed  booms, or floating barriers, to help
   contain the oil on the surface of the water.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

.