How Much Oil is Really Leaking Into the Gulf?

(CBS)  From the beginning, the Obama administration has insisted it is in charge of the response to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Wednesday, the President's point man, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, told BP he wants to monitor the company's process of paying out claims. And he demanded BP come up with a better plan for capturing the oil from the broken well.

Allen says BP's containment system is now capturing 630,000 gallons of oil a day, but plenty is still gushing out.

Read Adm. Allen's Letter to BP CEO Tony Hayward
Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf

How much? That's a multi-billion dollar question because BP will be fined based on the amount of oil that leaks.

The official answer to how big the leak is keeps getting put off reports CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. For the first time, BP gave high resolution video to scientists trying to figure it out, but it's still holding back other material.

"Our estimate should be independent of BP," says Purdue University professor Steve Wereley. "We should take them out of the process."

Senators fired off a letter telling BP it "must not hinder" or "undermine(d)" a "truly independent" estimate.

Meantime, there's mistrust over another issue: oil lingering unseen beneath the surface.

It's marine scientists from gulf state universities - not the government or BP - who have been flagging giant undersea plumes for weeks. University of Georgia researchers found one three miles wide.

The University of South Florida found an even bigger one.

But BP, responsible for managing the fall-out, appears to be in a perpetual state of denial. They insist all the oil is on top.

"The oil is on the surface," said BP CEO Tony Hayward on May 30.

BP COO Doug Suttles echoed that sentiment to CBS News Early Show anchor Harry Smith Wednesday. Asked directly by Smith if he believed the underwater plumes existed, Suttles said, "Harry, no one has found any large concentrations of oil beneath the surface."

Smith responded, "So scientists are making it up?"

"All we can know for certain is what we measured," said Suttles.

Environmentalist Philippe Cousteau says, "I think it's irresponsible for them to be denying that."

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Critics say the best information isn't coming from BP or the government's unified command too often.

"I had one of the state's scientists tell me that they have discovered oil just a few miles from the well head," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). "It's miles long as a plume."

If BP is behind the curve on subsea oil, not everyone is.

CBS News has learned that a proposal to track undersea oil went to the Coast Guard nearly five weeks ago. It would use modified navy sonobuoys.

The real-time maps would communities their best shot at getting resources in place. Florida officials endorsed the idea but backers were stunned by the response the Coast Guard gave: BP was calling the shots.

"This spill is still being totally funded by BP," the Coast Guard replied in an e-mail May 9th. "And anything that gets executed must go through them."

BP is also managing what people see online. The company has paid to have its website show up in the ad section when people Google terms such as "oil spill" and "claims."

BP wouldn't say how much it's paying to have its website show up in searches. President Obama has already criticized the company for spending $50 million on television ads to boost its image.

[consciousnes]

FINED??????
Someone should be thrown in jail. Better yet, do like they do in China and give the guy a sword.
No matter what amount they say leaked into the gulf, it will be 10 times worse.
I can figure just as well as they can. They say they are capturing 630,000 barrels a day now, since they just started that means that a minum (Their not getting it all) there has been 30,000,000 berrals that have leaked into the gulf. What was the Exon Valdize, 1.7 million?
I hope the fine is what they make per berral, what is it now, $67? At this point in time, and we are not done yet, that is about $2 Billion. The fine should be double that.

[larrryshrine]

I apologize if this appears twice; it didn't seem to load the first time. So here goes again;

I am a liberal, and proud of it. I voted for Obama, and am for the health care bill. That said, I am astonished at the tragedy in my beloved Gulf. I was born and raised on those waters, and am heartbroken by the way this oil gusher situation is playing out. First, I believe upper management of BP should be brought up on criminal charges. And the government - their response is pathetic. For Obama to wait over a month to say he is "in charge" is unbelievable. The agency that oversees drilling should be gutted, and those responsible for this lack of oversight should be fired immediately. The oil continues to gush; there is no plan to clean up the underwater plumes that threaten the shorelines. So - my heart is broken by the whole tragedy. I pray that experts are brought in with fresh ideas to fix this mess, stop the gushing, and clean up the oil in the Gulf. BP and the government are falling far short. Thank you.

[Constitutionislaw]

http://investors.morningstar.com/ownership/shareholders-selling.html?t=BP&region=USA&culture=en-US

Wow looks like the guys who funded the man with no birth certificate are/were major shareholders. Strange :)

Stop being Zombies and do your own research before you call people traitors.

[paperchase]

Grind off the top flange bolts and attach a new valve. This is how it's done on dry land with the exception of the bolt grinding. I emailed them this method as well as politicians and a few reporters last Saturday. Two responces received thus far were just referrals to Deepwater Horizon. No responce from Deepwater Horizon as of yet. So much for the suggestion box.

[begreedie]

I had wondered the same thing. Isn't that the whole reason behind using coupling joints. The only possible reason that I could think of was that the bolts, being in salt water, have corroded and they are not willing to take the risk of something happening there. I wish you good luck in trying to get a response from somebody. I think everything people are saying is just going on, deaf ears.

[UPSER70807]

I sure would like to know why BP cut the FLANGE, instead of unbolting it and attaching a new FLANGE which would not leak? And by the way, where the heck is BRITIAN?????? Where are their resorces and their dollars??

[spaceatoms]

Since AIG got their bailout and the DOW went from 6000 to 11,000 instead of 6000 to 2000, there was so much money made that the oil spill means nothing, absolutely nothing to the people in control. They have their money and are probably hedging their bets on another bailout of BP, until they(the plutocrats) lose big, they simply won't care how much is coming out, again for the nth time, there just shouldn't have been any bailouts in the first place, its not free enterprise, its socialism.

[thebob-bob]

Never trust an oil company to tell the truth. Never trust a corporation to do the right thing. Never trust Republicans in Government because they are pawns of the corporations.

[UPSER70807]

who's the pawn now? Pawn.

[vrytix]

You have every right to be suspicious of businesses and government. But, BP officials and representatives are closer to Democrats than they are to Republicans.

Remember the uproar about Goldman Sachs? Guess who it contributed the most money to in the 2008 election? Barack Obama.

And, who are the wealthiest members of Congress with financial ties to many big corporations? Democrats like John Kerry and his wife and Nancy Pelosi and her husband. Sen. Rockefeller from W. Virginia needs no introduction either except to point out he is a Democrat.

Please do some independent research. Check different websites and different newspapers. Google anything you want. Then, you will see the truth.

[jd2408]

We may just have an even bigger problem then just the oil. I watched the Congressional committee hearing today and the scientists testified that they don't know what the thousands of gallons of chemical dispersant will do to the ocean. There has never been testing of that amount and no testing done other than in labs. This really does not sound good.

[Mrk.M]

Why Can't the Federal Goverment Take a hose connected to the pipe broken pipein the water, Yes you would have to take the cap off thats there but after take a hose and connect it using the same bolts and start filling ships with oil. I mean It has been 51 days What are we going to do as ppl??? how will live on earth survive??? 1 GALLON OF OIL POLLUTES HOW MUCH WATER??? AND HOW MANY GALLONS ARE LEAKING? ARE THEY TRYING TO HARM US?? IT HAS BEEN 51 DAYS GOING ON 52 AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE.

[SueZeeeQue]

This and other disasters brought to you by Republican Deregulation.

[Constitutionislaw]

Is Barry Soetoro a Republican? Wow you guy's are as sharp as a bowling ball.

[vista8635]

Help baby, help!