BP's Numbers Update

BP published its official numbers. Graphically, they show since the spill began:





In the last week only 21,000 barrels of oily water were skimmed and no controlled burns conducted. This came from Hurricane Alex, five hundred miles away. Two lows threaten to keep seas rough around the spill area.

Note how bad weather impacts the spill. It prevents adding collection capacity from the blowout preventer lines, pushes oil into marshes (or around the Gulf), prevents skimmers from doing their work and impedes burning of surface oil.

With hurricane season, BP and the government may have missed prime skimming season.