Officials from the Obama administration and oil giant BP say it may take up to three months to to seal off a leaking oil well 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico that has created a massive environmental crisis that could affect much of the gulf coast.
BP chief executive Tony Heyward said Monday that "the worst-case scenario is that we would need to contain this for two to three months whilst a relief well is drilled."
Speaking on the "Today" show, Heyward said the company is also trying two other ways to deal with the spill: using robotic submarines to seal off the leaks, a process that so far has not succeeded and that he described as "like conducting heart surgery 5,000 feet beneath the sea"; or building containment domes -- akin to the hood over a stovetop -- that can be lowered onto three separate leaks and allow the oil to be captured and pumped to the surface. The 74-ton steel domes are currently being built and will be in the field within seven to eight days, officials said.
"We are absolutely responsible for the oil, for cleaning it up, and that's what we intend to do," Heyward said.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are meeting with top BP officials in Washington Monday to discuss the crisis, and Napolitano told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she will press for assurance that the company has set up a clear process for individuals and communities impacted by the spill to file claims.
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