American Morning
Louisiana officials debate oil protection plan
Oil pools in between booms in Barataria Bay June 19, 2010 near Grand Isle, Louisiana. (Getty Images)
(CNN) – A new fight is brewing over how to protect the Gulf's fragile wetlands from the oil gusher. Some Louisiana officials want to build rock barriers to block the oil. BP said it would pay for the project, but the Army Corps of Engineers says it's not going to happen. And it doesn't look like this fight is over yet. Deano Bonano is homeland security director for Jefferson Parish. He joined us on Thursday's American Morning to debate the issue, along with Denise Reed, wetlands specialist and director of the Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences. Watch 
BP: Relief well may be ready by end of July
(CNN) – After 79 days and an estimated 190 million gallons of gushing oil, BP says it's "ahead of schedule" and it may have the first relief well drilled by the end of the month. It's believed to be the company's best hope to stop the biggest oil disaster in U.S. history. But now, there is talk of backups to the backup plan. Gene Beck is an associate professor of petroleum engineering at Texas A&M and has more than 25 years of experience in well design and operation. He joined us on Wednesday's American Morning to walk us through the process of drilling a relief well. Watch
Crews work feverishly to save oily birds found alive
(CNN) – As we hit day 79 of the BP oil disaster, a new report from National Geographic is raising more red flags about the impact the oil is having on threatened and endangered birds. Experts say cleanup crews working in sensitive areas are causing adult birds to abandon their young, and chicks and eggs are accidentally being trampled on. So far, the feds say more than 2,300 birds have been collected, but about 60% of them were already dead. Our John Zarrella reports on the crews working feverishly to save the ones found alive. Watch
New oil recovery vessel could collect 25,000 barrels a day
The Helix Producer I will join two other contracting services vessels owned by Helix, the Express and Q4000, in supporting BP on the Deepwater Horizon spill response and containment operations. (Courtesy: Helix Energy Solutions Group)
(CNN) – There's a new plan to dramatically increase the amount of oil BP is recovering from its gushing well in the Gulf. The company has brought in a new vessel, the Helix Producer I. It's a floating platform that's able to process as much as 25,000 barrels a day. The system is also designed to easily disconnect and reconnect in the event of a major storm. Owen Kratz is CEO of Helix Energy Solutions Group and he joined us on Tuesday's American Morning to discuss their efforts. Watch
Is the water safe enough for swimming?
(CNN) – BP said Monday that the cost of its response to the Gulf oil disaster now totals approximately $3.12 billion. That includes containment, relief well drilling, grants to Gulf states, claims paid and federal costs, the oil giant said. The Fourth of July weekend brought beach-goers to the Gulf shore, despite the oil spill. But how safe is the water? The town of Pensacola lets people swim, but is anyone sure the water is really safe? Our John Zarrella reports.
Oil-eating microbes could be effective cleanup for BP spill
(CNN) – We've heard about a lot of solutions to cleaning up the Gulf oil spill, but what about oil-eating microbes? Our John Zarrella takes a look at some microscopic bacteria with a big appetite, but is it big enough? Watch
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