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 Doubles Oil Containment in Gulf Well Leak VOA News 18 May 2010 Oil coats beach sand at the mouth of the Mississippi River, south of Venice, Louisiana, 17 May 2010 Photo: AFP Oil coats beach sand at the mouth of the Mississippi River, south of Venice, Louisiana, 17 May 2010 Officials with oil giant BP say they have doubled the amount of oil they are able to capture from a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico. BP officials said Tuesday they are now siphoning about 2,000 barrels a day, compared to 1,000 barrels Monday. They are using a nearly two-kilometer-long tube to funnel the captured oil to a tanker ship on the surface. The amount of oil being siphoned off is estimated to be about 40 percent of the total gushing from the well. The well has leaked hundreds of thousands of liters of oil into the Gulf of Mexico since an April 20 explosion on the oil rig killed 11 workers. Meanwhile, for the second straight day, Obama administration officials are scheduled to testify before Congress regarding the oil spill threatening the U.S. Gulf coast. The White House is also expected to announce in coming days the creation of a presidential commission to investigate the accident that led to the massive spill. A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Monday the panel will be established by executive order.  The official said the commission will be similar to panels created to investigate the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania and the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. The official also said no current government employees will serve on the panel. During congressional testimony Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that more than 17,000 personnel at the federal, state and local levels, and thousands of trained volunteers, are working to protect the Gulf shoreline.  Napolitano said the Obama administration's first priority has been to oversee BP's efforts to stop the leaks. BP says its next move to contain the spill would involve a procedure known as a "top kill," in which another tube is used to shoot mud into the well to prevent oil and gas from escaping.  Some scientists say they are concerned about the oil reaching a major water stream, known as the loop current, that could carry the crude through the Florida Keys and even up the U.S. East Coast.  BP also has been spraying chemical dispersants at the site of the leak, an operation the company says is showing some success. Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters. .