May 11
Lamar McKay, president and chairman of BP America, waits to testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. McKay stressed the failure of the blowout preventer owned by rig operator Transocean. "The systems are intended to fail-close and be fail-safe," McKay said. "Sadly and for reasons we do not yet understand, in this case, they were not."
Tracy A Woodward-The Washington Post
May 11
BP's Lamar McKay, left, Transocean's Steven Newman and Halliburton's Tim Probert used the hearing to try and deflect blame from their respective companies.
Tracy A. Woodward-The Washington Post
May 11
McKay, Newman and Probert, while deflecting blame from their companies, said that it was too early to make a final determination of the cause of the April 20 blowout that started the spill.
Tracy A Woodward-The Washington Post
May 11
Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), left, and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) confer during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.
Tracy A. Woodward-The Washington Post
May 11
During a break in the Senate hearing, BP America President Lamar McKay passes protester Tighe Barry of Los Angeles.
Tracy A. Woodward-The Washington Post
May 11
BP Executive Vice President David Nagel sits during a break in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
Mark Wilson-Getty Images
May 11
A protester holds up a sign during a hearing by the Coast Guard and the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service in Kenner, La.
Getty Images
May 11
Officials with the Coast Guard and the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service take an oath before holding a joint hearing in Kenner, La.
Charlie Riedel-AP
May 10
A U.S. Army National Guard helicopter in Port Fourchon, La., hoists sandbags that will be dropped in one of five key locations along the Louisiana coast identified as sensitive wetlands.
Reuters
May 10
National Guard helicopters drop sand bags in a breach in the beach just west of Grand Isle, La., in an effort to protect the delicate marsh lands from the approaching oil slick moving westward from the Deepwater Horizon spill.
Ted Jackson-AP
May 10
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley looks out over the state's coast during a helicopter tour of oil spill preparations over Mobile, Ala. Barriers are still being placed in state waters ahead of the possible spread of the slick toward the state.
Jay Reeves-AP
May 10
Crews build a sand berm to protect Dauphin Island, Ala., from the potential of oil washing onshore. Oil workers, volunteers and the military have been battling to shut off a gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and stop the huge spreading slick from reaching major ports, tourist beaches, wildlife refuges and fishing grounds.
Brian Snyder-Reuters
May 10
A wall was constructed to protect the northern shore of Dauphin Island, Ala., from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley took a helicopter tour of the state's coast, where barriers are still being placed in the water ahead of the possible spread of the slick toward the state.
Jay Reeves-AP
May 10
Charlie Pelizza and Sharon Taylor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service release a black gannet that was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico into the wild at the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, northeast of Vero Beach, Fla.
Rick Silva-AP
May 10
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), right, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), center, and Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle talk about efforts to stop the oil from reaching areas of the coast in Grand Isle, La.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 10
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle, right, look at a map showing the areas that might be affected by the massive oil spill, as they meet with the media in Lafourche Parish, La. Efforts to contain the spill, including a 98-ton containment box to cap the leak, have done little to slow its flow.
Joe Raedle-Getty Images
May 10
Oil and water, scooped up with a bucket from the Gulf of Mexico off the side of the supply vessel Joe Griffin, is seen on the hands of an AP reporter at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, off the coast of Louisiana.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 10
Clean-up crews comb the beach for tar balls washed on shore on Dauphin Island, Ala. Oil workers, volunteers and the military have been battling to shut off a gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and stop the huge spreading slick from reaching major ports, tourist beaches, wildlife refuges and fishing grounds.
Brian Snyder-Reuters
May 9
A five-inch-wide oil tar ball is separated for a photo after being found on the west end shore of Dauphin Island, Ala. Oil has been gushing from the well at an estimated rate of more than 5,000 barrels a day into the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast after BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig sank.
Kari Goodnough-Bloomberg
May 9
A cattle egret, stained from oil, rests on the deck of the supply vessel Joe Griffin, at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The wellhead of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which was operated by BP, is leaking an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf and the slick has now reached nearby land.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 9
Louisiana National Guard Sgt. George Achee uses a bulldozer to create a earthen barrier in an attempt to protect an estuary from the massive oil spill in Lafourche Parish, La. Efforts to contain the spill, including a 98-ton containment box to cap the leak, have done little to slow its flow.
Joe Raedle-Getty Images
May 9
BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles speaks at a news conference in Venice, La. Suttles met with local officials about the barrier islands plan, which he described as "not yet complete." He said that the company was interested in further exploring the project after it's more fully developed but that BP hoped to be able to cap the well soon so that a major barrier-building program might not be necessary.
Patrick Semansky-AP
May 9
Tony Phan, left, and his father, Lanh, wait outside of a BP claims center for Tony's mother, Lai Nguyen, the captain of their commercial fishing fleet, in Boothville, La. Nguyen was making a claim with BP representatives for work lost due to the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Patrick Semansky-AP
May 9
An oil-soaked bird struggles against the side of the HOS Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 9
Amid other efforts, officials are using chemical dispersants to control the spread of oil, but almost no research has been done on whether the dispersants will undermine the water repellency of birds, which is essential for regulating their body temperature.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 9
Thick black waves of oil and brown whitecaps are seen off the side of the supply vessel Joe Griffin at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill containment efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 5
A Basler BT-67 fixed-wing aircraft releases dispersant over an oil discharge from Deepwater Horizon.
Reuters
May 9
The cable attached to the oil containment device that was lowered to the sea floor is seen off the side of the Q4000 mobile drilling platform at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 9
Graham Macdonald, center, leads a shoreline assessment team along the beaches of Dauphin Island, Ala., where tar balls washed ashore the previous day. Oil workers, volunteers and the military have been battling to shut off a gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and stop the huge spreading slick from reaching major ports, tourist beaches, wildlife refuges and fishing grounds.
Brian Snyder-Reuters
May 8
A rescued brown pelican cools off with a spray of water in a temporary cage at a rescue center at Fort Jackson, La.
Vernon Bryant-AP
May 8
Beachgoers walk past netting that is expected to contain oil that washes ashore on Dauphin Island, Ala. Tar balls have been sighted on the island after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
Patrick Semansky-AP
May 8
A demonstrator holds a placard during a rally in New Orleans to demand the cleaning of coasts as oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead continued to spread in the Gulf of Mexico. BP engineers positioned a four-story metal chamber above the gushing, ruptured oil well on Saturday in an unprecedented but failed effort to contain a possibly catastrophic spill.
Carlos Barria-Reuters
May 8
Demonstrators hold placards during a rally in New Orleans to demand the cleaning of the coast.
Carlos Barria-Reuters
May 8
A mother and two of her sons remove debris from the beach in a cleanup effort at Bay St. Louis, Miss. Citizens along the Gulf of Mexico were asked to remove debris that could hinder efforts to clean up the BP oil spill if it reaches the shore. From left to right are Judith McCall, Dawson McCall and Jonas Powers.
Rick Wilking-Reuters
May 9
With condominium towers and beach homes in the background, workers handle oil-blocking booms in a parking lot in Orange Beach, Ala. The state of Alabama plans to use booms to prevent oil from entering the pass.
Jay Reeves-AP
May 9
Thick black waves of oil break off the side of the supply vessel Joe Griffin at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill containment efforts.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 7
Oil-tainted water has reached Freemason Island, La., as this bagged sample shows.
Carlos Barria-Reuters
May 7
Shrimping vessels pull a boom through the gulf during a controlled burn.
U.S. Navy-Getty Images
May 8
Shrimpers, who are banned from trawling the waters, use their boats to help place booms near Shell Beach, La.
Joe Raedle-Getty Images
May 8
Oil continues to gush into the gulf at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 6
The Helix Q4000 mobile offshore drilling unit, rear, prepares to deploy the containment vessel to the site of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
Marc Morrison-via Bloomberg
May 6
Captain Demi Shaffer, right, and Brendon McDonnell reposition a containment vessel, seen in the background, near the Q4000 drilling unit, which will lower the vessel over the oil leak at the site of the Deepwater Horizon rig collapse.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 7
The sheen of oil is evident just above the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 7
The Transocean Development Driller III is drilling the relief well to divert the flow of oil into the gulf.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 7
Neal Ford measures an order of frozen shrimp for Nolan Kenerick in Slidell, La. A jump in seafood prices is expected as a prohibition continues on harvesting from gulf waters.
Joe Raedle-Getty Images
May 6
A mission to the bottom of the sea to try to avert a wider environmental disaster progressed early Friday as crews said a four-story concrete-and-steel box was close to being placed over a blown-out well on the gulf floor in an unprecedented attempt to capture gushing oil.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 6
The containment vessel, the size of a small townhouse, is lowered into the Gulf of Mexico at the site of the Deepwater Horizon rig collapse.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 6
An aerial view of the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. BP engineers were expected to start lowering a huge metal chamber over the ruptured seabed well, which has been gushing oil at 5,000 barrels a day since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded two weeks ago off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers.
Daniel Beltra-Reuters
May 6
Yellow residue marks the separation between clean and oily water as seen underwater in Chandeleur Sound, La. The containment vessel is designed to collect as much as 85 percent of the oil spewing into the gulf and funnel it up to a tanker.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 6
A pair of bottle-nose dolphins swim under the oily water of Chandeleur Sound in Louisiana.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 6
Workers set out booms to protect the shoreline from drifting oil as it creeps closer to land near Venice, La.
Lee Celano-Reuters
May 6
Oil contamination in Louisiana's Chandeleur Sound threatens wildlife in the area.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 6
Oil-covered booms hang on the shrimp boat Mariah Jade in Breton Sound, La. Shrimpers have been restricted from some areas of the gulf.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 6
The currents of the Gulf of Mexico are highlighted by oil on top.
Dave Martin-AP
May 6
BP contractors deploy an oil boom off the coast of Gulfport, Miss.
Rick Wilking-Reuters
May 6
The fragile marshland in New Harbor Island, La., is under assault as oil washes ashore.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 6
A barge carrying a containment device that BP hopes will control the underwater oil geyser threatening the Gulf Coast arrives at the site of the Deepwater Horizon's explosion.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 6
A sheen of oil covers the water surface above the wellhead.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 6
The four-story containment device will be lowered by a huge crane on top of the spouting wellhead, which is 5,000 feet below.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 5
A sea turtle surfaces to feed on Portuguese Man-O-War, contaminated with oil due to the spill from the Deepwater Horizon rig.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 5
Donovan Bourg, left, and Todd Lyons work to haul in oil-absorbent pads off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. After the pads are brought in, they are put into trash bags and taped closed.
Matt Stamey-AP
May 5
Workers on a shrimp boat haul an oil-soaked containment boom, used along with absorption pads to collect the oil on the surface of the water from the massive spill in Breton and Chandeleur sounds off the coast of Louisiana.
Joe Raedle-Getty Images
May 5
This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows oil burning during a controlled oil fire in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard working, in partnership with BP, local residents and other federal agencies, conducted the burn to help prevent the spread of oil.
Mc2 Justin Stumberg-AP
May 5
Dusty Chauvin watches as the Mariah Jade passes through a patch of oil dispersant off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. After deploying the oil-absorbent pads, the crew would wait anywhere from five to 30 minutes before hauling them in.
Matt Stamey-AP
May 5
A protective boom washes ashore on the beach near Southeast Pass, La. Oil giant BP's oil rig exploded April 20 in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers. It sank two days later, and oil is still pouring into the gulf.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 5
Deepwater Horizon Marine Conservationist and oil spill expert Rick Steiner collects a sample of oil and water from a boat near Breton Island, La. Workers toiled above and below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday to plug a gushing oil leak and protect the U.S. shoreline in one of the biggest spill containment efforts ever mounted. Prevailing winds are expected to hold the giant oil slick offshore for several more days.
Ho-REUTERS
May 5
National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger examines a baby fish contaminated with oil due to the spill from the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 5
Unemployed commercial fishermen and their families wait in line to receive hand-outs from New Orleans Catholic Charities in Hopedale, La. Many local fishermen have been temporarily shut down but have been hired by BP to lay oil booms in sensitive areas.
Sandy Huffaker-Getty Images
May 5
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar tours the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Gulf Shores, Ala., helping BP contractors with ORC, Oil Recovery Company, by installing an oil retention boom along the lagoon.
John David Mercer-AP
May 5
Oil from the massive spill sits on the surface of the water in Breton and Chandeleur sounds off the coast of Louisiana. Oil is still leaking out of the Deepwater Horizon well at an estimated rate of 1,000-5,000 barrels a day.
Joe Raedle-Getty Images
May 5
Portuguese Man-O-War, contaminated with oil due to the spill from the Deepwater Horizon rig, float on the water about 15 miles from land near South Pass, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 5
Workers unload yards of an oil boom from a truck onto a barge docked in Bayou La Batre, Ala., Residents along the Gulf Coast are bracing for the arrival of an oil slick emanating from the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform off the coast of Louisiana.
G.m. Andrews-AP
May 5
This image provided by NASA shows an aerial view of the tail end of the Mississippi Delta, top right, showing the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. The picture was taken by International Space Station Expedition 23 flight engineer Soichi Noguchi.
Soichi Noguchi-AP
May 5
Crane cables are attached to a Wild Well Control chamber that will be lowered into the water to help contain oil at the well's source.
Patrick Semansky-AP
May 5
The Wild Well Control containment chamber is loaded onto a barge in Port Fourchon, La.
Patrick Semansky-AP
May 5
The 125-ton concrete-and-steel box is expected to act as a funnel. It will be deposited about 50 miles from the Louisiana coastline, where it will move oil into a tanker.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 5
Containment boxes have never been used at a 5,000-foot depth because of the extreme water pressure, but if all goes well, the device could be in use by next week.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 5
The barge Joe Griffin, right, carries the containment device as it leaves Port Fourchon, La. The device will be used to collect crude oil leaking from the BP's damaged Deepwater Horizon oil rig that sank on April 20.
Marc Morrison-via Bloomberg
May 4
Breton Island, La., is surrounded by protective booms to try to protect the habitat for nesting birds such as terns.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
Booms are ready for deployment near Shell Beach, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
Along the shoreline in Breton Island, La., people set up booms.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
Thousands of people are working to protect wildlife such as the terns and pelicans on Breton Island, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
The boom stockpile has been exhausted, so manufacturers are going into overtime to produce more.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
For now, a perimeter of booms is protecting the fragile ecosystem of Breton Island, La.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
A boat navigates the grassy wetlands near the South Pass of the Mississippi River in Venice, La. Executives from oil giant BP and other energy companies told lawmakers that if they fail to close the well, the spill could increase from an estimated 5,000 barrels a day to 40,000 barrels or even 60,000 barrels.
Chris Graythen-Getty Images
May 4
Behind a fence is a chamber that will be used to help contain oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform, in Port Fourchon, La.
Patrick Semansky-AP
May 4
Workers clean a dirty oil containment boom at a decontamination site in Venice, La. A BP executive said the company has had success in treating the oil at the point of the leak with dispersant chemicals sprayed by a robotic submarine.
Patrick Kelley-Via Bloomberg
May 4
Workers unload oil boom lines to be laid by local fishermen in Hopedale, La. Many local shrimpers have been shut down but have been hired by BP to lay oil booms in sensitive areas. The Deepwater Horizon offshore oil well began leaking after the rig caught fire and collapsed last month.
Sandy Huffaker-Getty Images
May 4
A flotilla of shrimp, crab and oil work boats heads south down Southwest Pass with oil booms to place them in ecologically sensitive areas along the Louisiana coast and marshes.
David Grunfeld-AP
May 4
Members of the U.S. Army National Guard install Hesco containers along the beaches of Dauphin Island, Ala. The containers are designed to absorb oil through a fibrous material, which reacts with a non-harmful material that changes the sheen to a more solid state that can be recycled.
John David Mercer-AP
May 4
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, left, and Capt. William Drelling of the U.S. Coast Guard take an aerial survey of the Alabama coastline prior to the arrival of the oil in Dauphin Island, Ala.
John David Mercer-AP
May 4
A rig drilling a relief well is seen through clouds in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, at the site of the recent collapse and spill of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
Eric Gay-AP
May 4
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist greets Alabama Gov. Bob Riley at the Brookley airport, as the governors toured their coastlines prior to the arrival of the oil in Mobile, Ala.
John David Mercer-AP
May 4
A dead bird floats in Chandeleur Sound, La. Cleanup and containment of a massive oil slick resumed Tuesday as winds eased in the Gulf of Mexico and people along beaches and bayous waited to find out just how badly it might damage the delicate coast. It is not known how the bird died.
Alex Brandon-AP
May 4
Nesting birds inhabit Breton Island, La., surrounded by protective booms in an effort to save the fragile habitat from possible approaching oil.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
Father and son fishermen John Chaix, left, and David Chaix prepare to return home with their shrimp boat in Grand Isle, La. Shrimp fishing had been restricted east of the Mississippi River to the waters off Pensacola Bay in Florida because of the massive oil spill from the collapse of the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig last month.
Scott Olson-Getty Images
May 4
Brown pelicans and other birds inhabit Breton Island, La., surrounded by protective booms in an effort to save the fragile habitat.
Carol Guzy-The Washington Post
May 4
Workers along the beach in Gulfport, Miss., gather oil-soaked algae.
Ben Gruber-Reuters
May 4
Besides oil-drenched algae, crews combing Gulf Coast beaches are finding many dead marine animals.
Ben Gruber-Reuters
May 4
Oil-containment booms await deployment near Chef Pass in New Orleans.
Sean Gardner-Reuters
May 3
BP chief executive Tony Hayward leaves the Interior Department in Washington. The company's online fact sheet said it would take full responsibility for cleanup costs, but critics were beginning to question the financial commitment.
Yuri Gripas-Reuters
May 3
Matthew Nance leaves a BP office after applying to work on spill cleanup.
Carlos Barria-Reuters
May 3
Shrimp boats are docked in Venice, La., during a suspension of commercial and recreational fishing in federal waters affected by the oil slick.
Carlos Barria-Reuters
May 3
Welders work on top of a containment chamber at Wild Well Control in Port Fourchon, La. The device will be lowered onto the leaking well in the gulf.
Sean Gardner-Reuters
May 3
A dome, which will be placed on top of the containment box as part of the Sub Sea Oil Recovery system, sits under construction at the Wild Well Control fabrication yard in Golden Meadow, La. Wild Well is constructing an undersea collection device for BP to use in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Derick E. Hingle-Bloomberg
May 3
Fabrication workers cut a piece of pipe that will be used as part of the Sub Sea Oil Recovery System at the Wild Well Control fabrication yard in Golden Meadow, La.
Derick E. Hingle-Bloomberg
May 3
Containment funnels, which will be placed on top of a containment chamber with a dome, lie on the ground at the fabrication yard.
Derick E. Hingle-Bloomberg
May 3
A line of booms has been set up on the southwest side of Ship Island as a barrier from the oncoming oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
William Colgin-AP
May 3
The Transocean drillship Discoverer Enterprise prepares to conduct a recovery operation for BP using a specially built dome at the sea floor.
AP
May 3
The ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig Development Drill III begins operations for drilling a relief well. A relief well is designed to drill down and intersect the existing well bore and pump heavy fluids and cement in to stop the leaking oil.
AP
May 3
A long ribbon of rust colored oil stretches into the distance off the waters near the Chandeleur Islands, off the coast of Louisiana.
William Colgin-AP
May 3
A seagull lands on a fish floating in the Breton Sound of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. Fish and wildlife are vulnerable to the oil spill.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 2
Out-of-work fishermen hired by BP and crew boat workers lay oil booms at Elephant Pass, in a tributary of the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. The federal government closed commercial and recreational fishing for at least 10 days in federal waters from the mouth of the Mississippi River to near Pensacola, Fla.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 2
President Obama visits the Coast Guard station in Venice, La. Obama called the spill "a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster."
Patrick Kelley-U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images
Andrew Nyman, left, an associate professor of wetland wildlife management and ecology at the LSU AgCenter, and Randy Lanctot, director of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, collect samples of beach sand at South Pass, south of Venice, La.
Carlos Barria-Reuters
Nyman holds a sample of beach sand beside oil booms at South Pass.
Carlos Barria-REUTERS
May 2
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, right, briefs Obama upon the president's arrival.
Larry Downing-REUTERS
May 2
Obama meets with Coast Guard Adm. Thad W. Allen, the administration's point person on the crisis, and Jindal aboard Marine One as they fly along the coastline from Venice, La., to New Orleans.
Pete Souza-White House via AP
May 2
John Rahim, boom deployment coordinator for St. Bernard Parish, enlists fishermen to lay oil booms to protect their fishing grounds.
Gerald Herbert-AP
A television crew reports next to twisted oil booms at South Pass.
Carlos Barria-Reuters
May
Employees of D&C Seafood unload what could be the last of the shrimp catch at their facilities in Venice, La.
Tim Aubry-Greenpeace via Reuters
Fishermen signed up to lay oil booms in Shell Beach, La.
Gerald Herbert-AP
May 1
Brown pelicans in the Breton Sound off the coast of Louisiana.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 30
Workers spread oil booms along a railroad trestle in Bay St. Louis, Miss., as preparations continue to head off damage.
Dave Martin-AP
April 30
Oil booms are loaded onto a boat in Bay St. Louis, Miss. The Pentagon dispatched two cargo planes to the state to help by dumping chemical dispersants on the water.
Dave Martin-AP
April 30
Erica Miller, left, and Danene Birtell with Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research work on a northern gannet, whose normally white feathers are coated in oil.
Alex Brandon-AP
April 30
Erica Miller with Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research treats an oil-covered northern gannet at a facility in Fort Jackson, La.
Alex Brandon-AP
April 30
Jordan Ellis inspects oil scooped up from the Gulf of Mexico, 17 miles southeast of the South Pass of the Mississippi River. The spill is threatening to overshadow the Exxon Valdez as the worst U.S. environmental disaster in decades.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 30
Pea-size particles of weathered oil float 17 miles southeast of the South Pass of the Mississippi River. Louisiana has declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 30
Oil booms are set around a barge operated by the Marine Spill Response Corp. in Venice, La.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 30
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano speaks with Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois.
Matt Stamey-AP
April 30
Rear Adm. Mary Landry, left, and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu prepare to board a plane in Houma, La., for an aerial view of the disaster.
Matt Stamey-AP
April 30
Birds sit on the water surrounded by oil booms on Breton Sound Island, on the southern most tip of the Chandeluer Islands in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana April 29, 2010. A massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico neared wildlife refuges and seafood grounds along the Louisiana coast on Friday, as efforts redoubled to avert what could become one of the worst U.S. ecological disasters.
Sean Gardner-Reuters
April 30
Jimmy Phong, left, and Ba Ken stand inside their fishing boat, which they are repairing after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, in Venice, La. -- local fishermen are worried about how their industry will withstand a growing oil spill that resulted from last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 30
The leak from a ruptured oil well on the ocean floor off the coast of the southern state of Louisiana is pouring out crude oil at a rate of up to 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons or 955,000 litres) a day, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - five times more oil than previously thought.
Sean Gardner-Reuters
April 30
Oil booms protect a small island along Port East in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana on April 29, 2010.
Sean Gardner-Reuters
April 30
A boat deploys oil booms along Port East in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana. Hours before the spill started washing ashore in Louisiana late Thursday, members of Congress issued new calls for Obama to abandon his plans for expanded offshore drilling along the Gulf of Mexico.
Sean Gardner-Reuters
April 30
Birds fly over oil on the water near Breton Sound Island, on the southern most tip of the Chandeleur Islands in the Gulf of Mexico. The escalating threat has deepened fears of severe damage to fisheries, wildlife refuges and tourism in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Sean Gardner-Reuters
April 29
Workers load oil booms onto a crew boat to assist in the containment of oil from the leaking pipeline. The leak resulted from last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 26
Cleanup vessels work in the area of an oil slick created after the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is even worse than earlier believed, and as the government grows concerned that the rig's operator is ill-equipped to contain it, officials are offering a military response to try to avert a massive environmental disaster along the ecologically fragile U.S. coastline.
DigitalGlobe-AP
April 28
A boat makes its way through crude oil. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that oil could be pouring out of the ground at a rate of up to 5,000 barrels a day -- five times BP's earlier estimate.
Chris Graythen-Getty Images
April 26
Cleanup vessels work in the area of the oil slick. Although the Coast Guard and other federal agencies are supporting the cleanup operation, BP has publicly accepted its responsibility to pay for the efforts.
DigitalGlobe-AP
April 28
The crisis began April 20, when an oil and gas discovery blew upward, setting the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on fire. The rig, owned by Transocean and leased to BP, later sank, and 11 of its workers are missing and presumed dead
Chris Graythen-Getty Images
April 28
Workers shuck oysters at the P&J Oyster Co. in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Oil from the sunken oil platform the Deepwater Horizon is slowly moving toward the Louisiana coastline, where many of the oysters are harvested.
Bill Haber-AP
April 28
A boat makes its way through crude oil that has leaked from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead. NOAA said its 72-hour forecast for the spill showed it touching land for the first time this weekend.
Chris Graythen-Getty Images
April 25
A satellite photo shows the oil slick, center right, created by a 42,000-gallon-a-day leak from a well in the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon platform April 20.
NASA-AP
April 27
A dispersant plane passes over an oil skimmer as it cleans the spill from a leaking pipeline that resulted from last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. The Coast Guard planned to set fire to the oil in a last-ditch effort to get rid of it before it reaches environmentally sensitive marshlands on the Louisiana coast.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 27
A starfish washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands, home of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge, off the southeastern coast of Louisiana. The barrier islands are at risk from the growing oil spill.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 27
Weathered oil from the leaking pipeline is seen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 27
A worker looks over an oil boom as it collects from the leaking pipeline.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 26
About 42,000 gallons of oil a day are leaking into the gulf from the blown-out well where the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank last week.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 26
The slick covers an area about 100 miles long and 45 miles across at its widest point, according to authorities. It could reach land within three days, depending on the weather.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 26
Weathered oil is seen near the coast of Louisiana. The cost of disaster continues to rise and could easily top $1 billion.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 23
Donovan Weise cries on the shoulder of a sympathetic friend at the candlelight vigil for Adam Weise in Yorktown, Tex. Adam Weise is among 11 workers who went missing after the oil rig exploded.
Frank Tilley-AP
April 23
At a candlelight vigil in Yorktown, Tex., a family friend comforts Arlene Weise, whose son Adam Weise is one of 11 oil platform workers missing and presumed dead.
Frank Tilley-AP
April 24
This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows oil leaking from the drill pipe of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig after it sank on Thursday. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said the leak was a new discovery but could have begun when the rig sank, two days after the initial explosion. Bad weather has halted efforts to clean up the mess that threatens the area's fragile marine ecosystem.
U.S. Coast Guard-AP
April 23
In this aerial photo taken in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, a boat with an oil boom tries to contain oil spilled from the explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, approximately seven miles from where the rig sank.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 23
Oil streaks out from the explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, approximately seven miles from where the rig sank in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 22
Debris and oil from the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform float in the Gulf of Mexico after the rig sank.
U.S. Coast Guard-Reuters
April 22
More than 300,000 of gallons of crude could be released daily into the water.
U.S. Coast Guard-Reuters
April 22
Response boats work to clean the area where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank off Louisiana.
U.S. Coast Guard-Reuters
April 22
A news conference in New Orleans is attended by, from left, David Rainey, BP's vice president for Gulf of Mexico production; Adrian Rose, Transocean's vice president for quality, health, safety and the environment; U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry; David Hayes, deputy secretary for the Department of the Interior; and Coast Guard public information officer Suzanne Kerver.
Cheryl Gerber-AP
April 22
Attending a news conference in New Orleans are Suzanne Kerver, Cheri Ben-Iesau and Diane Hauser of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Cheryl Gerber-AP
April 22
David Hayes, deputy interior secretary, speaks about the operations surrounding sinking of the Deepwater Horizon.
Cheryl Gerber-AP
April 22
Rear Adm. Mary Landry tells a news conference in New Orleans that a vessel is checking what's happening underwater. Also on hand for the media briefing were Adrian Rose of Transocean, left, and David Rainey of BP.
Cheryl Gerber-AP
April 22
Oil floats in the Gulf of Mexico off the shore of Louisiana, as the Deepwater Horizon burns.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 21
The Deepwater Horizon rig, twice the size of a football field, had been burning since the blast Tuesday.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 21
Flames engulf the rig, 52 miles southeast of Venice, La. Helicopters, ships and an airplane searched waters off Louisiana's coast Wednesday for missing workers.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Lloyd-AP
April 22
Christy Murray, right, sister of Chad Murray, who was rescued from the rig, talks on the phone, as her father, Stanley Murray talks with loved ones of a crew member reported missing.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 21
Emergency medical technicians rush a gurney to a rescue helicopter at the Coast Guard air station in New Orleans. The crew helped multiple survivors from the mobile offshore drilling unit.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Tom Atkeson-U.S. Coast Guard via AP
April 21
Family members of Eugene Moss, 37, of Jayess, Miss., who was on the oil rig, read news on their mobile devices as they await his arrival with fellow crew members who were evacuated from the rig. From left: nephew David Sneathern, Crystal Buffington and Moss's daughter Jasmyn.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 22
An unidentified crew member, second from left, walks with loved ones at a hotel in Kenner, La., after their crew boat returned to shore.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 21
Kelly Eugene hugs her son Jonathan while waiting to find out where they can pick up her husband, Kevin, a cook who was rescued from the oil platform.
Patrick Semansky-AP
April 21
An aerial view of the oil platform.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 21
Fire boats battle the blaze.
U.S. Coast Guard-Getty Images
April 21
The rig, owned by Transocean, which is under contract to oil giant BP, had a 126-person crew.
Gerald Herbert-AP
April 21
An oil slick is evident in the water as smoke rises from the burning rig.
Gerald Herbert-AP
Gallery Credits:
Producer, Photo Editor Stephen Cook
Oil spills throughout history