The device meant to stop oil leaking from a Gulf of Mexico well after last month's rig explosion was faulty, US Congressional investigators have said. The blowout preventer (BOP), a set of huge valves, had a hydraulic leak and a failed battery, they said after studying documents from BP and others.Oil industry chiefs say it is too early to conclude what caused the disaster.
A climate change bill just submitted to the Senate could allow states to veto some offshore drilling plans.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has also proposed new legislation which foresees $188m (£127m) in emergency funding to cope with the fallout from the oil spill. His administration intends to recover most of the money from BP.
In a letter to House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr Obama requested $100m in immediate funding for the Coast Guard and $29m for the Secretary of the Interior for additional inspections, enforcement and studies, saying he would "spare no effort to clean up whatever damage has been caused".
More...
On a quiet street near the marsh in Charleston, South Carolina’s Rosemont neighborhood, Luvenia Brown watches...
Hexavalent chromium nanoparticles were found in air samples gathered by researchers over the course of several...
The National Hurricane Center is tracking systems in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on Saturday,...
A powerful storm kicked up a towering wall of dust that rolled through the city of...
