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• Testimony ends for 1st phase of BP spill trial

  April 17, 2013 11:55 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Testimony has concluded for the first phase of a high-stakes trial over the deadly 2010 rig explosion that led to the nation's worst offshore oil spill. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier didn't rule Wednesday on any claims in the litigation after BP PLC wrapped up its... more »

• Video of the Day: Bowling Spill

  January 10, 2012 6:54 AM

  We hope your embarrasing moments aren't caught on camera. But this professional bowler...didn't get that luxury. Check out our Video of the Day . more »

• Experts assess damage after fuel spills in creek

  August 28, 2011 8:50 AM

  DENVER (AP) - Authorities are assessing the damage after a tanker truck crashed and spilled 4,000 gallons of fuel into Clear Creek. State police say the crash occurred about 9 a.m. Saturday on U.S. 6 near the Loveland Basin ski area, leaving the driver with minor injuries. Federal... more »

• Environmental groups challenge Shell drilling plan

  June 9, 2011 11:57 AM

  ATLANTA (AP) - Environmental groups are asking a federal appeals court to throw out a U.S. government decision to approve a Shell oil exploration plan that involves five proposed wells under more than 7,000 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation... more »

• All evacuees allowed to go home in Monument

  April 21, 2011 12:49 AM

  All of the evacuees from a chemical leak in Monument have been allowed to return home. The evacuation order was lifted for the last 12 homes as of 10:00 p.m. People in 243 other homes were allowed to return earlier in the evening. The evacuations were ordered early Wednesday... more »

• D-38 Schools in session tomorrow

  April 20, 2011 6:53 PM

  The hazardous materials clean-up is on track right now in Monument so school leaders in District 38 say schools will be in session tomorrow. If that changes we'll update you here and on News First 5. more »

• Magnetic seal contains leak

  April 20, 2011 1:19 PM

  All plans for Monument residents center on a damaged tanker car containing hydrochloric acid. The leak has been stopped using a magnetic seal, but hundreds of homes are under evacuation orders. The train sits directly east of Mitchell and Synthes. It awaits the arrival of a specially trained crew... more »

• Leak has been contained

  April 20, 2011 9:47 AM

  The leak in a tanker car in Monument has been contained. A specially trained crew is on the way from Fort Worth to move the remaining hydrochloric acid to another container. The crew is expected around 1 p.m. Once that crew arrives the work will take four to five... more »

• 250 homes to be evacuated

  April 20, 2011 7:13 AM

  Calls are going out to residents in Monument due to a leaking tanker car on a train. The train is stopped in Monument and hazardous materials crews will have to unload the hydrochloric acid that is inside. The leaking tanker is near Wagon Gap Trail and Elk Valley Trail. ... more »

• Scientists lower Gulf health grade

  October 19, 2010 8:09 AM

  Scientists say that six months after the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, damage to the Gulf of Mexico is less dramatic than some had predicted. In an informal Associated Press survey, 35 researchers who study the Gulf lowered their rating of its ecological health by several points.... more »

• Salazar visits Vestas, lifts drilling ban

  October 12, 2010 8:32 PM

  U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is lifting the ban on deep water oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The former U.S. Senator from Colorado spoke about the issue as he kicked off a national renewable energy tour on Tuesday. His first stop was the Vestas wind tower factory in... more »

• Interior Secretary Salazar lifts oil drilling moratorium

  October 12, 2010 1:35 PM

  Citing "significant process" in the safety of future drilling operations, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar ha lifted the deep water drilling moratorium. This affects rigs drilling in 500 feet of water or more. Each company will have to certify that it has complied with all safety rules and regulations.... more »

• Gold rush on the Gulf: Researchers clamor for cash

  October 1, 2010 3:49 PM

  Once a backwater in the world of oceanographic research, the Gulf of Mexico has suddenly become the site of a scientific gold rush, all because of the BP oil spill. The environmental disaster represents a once-in-a-generation research opportunity that has oceanographers salivating. There's big money - $500 million from... more »

• Cement starts flowing to plug BP well for good

  September 17, 2010 3:37 PM

  Oil giant BP says crews have begun pumping cement to permanently seal the company's blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. A spokesman said Friday there no longer is a need to use mud in tandem with the cement because pressure from the well isn't an issue. BP expects... more »

• Oil platform catches fire in Gulf; workers OK

  September 3, 2010 9:02 AM

  A company official says the incident aboard a Mariner Energy oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico is considered a fire, not an explosion. The Coast Guard says there was no leak, and no one was killed. The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile... more »

• BP says cost of Gulf of Mexico spill hits $8 billion

  September 3, 2010 8:28 AM

  BP says it has so far spent $8 billion responding to the disastrous oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. The company said Friday that the total included $399 million paid to settle 127,000 claims from businesses and other affected by the oil spill. The oil company... more »

• Endangered turtles saved from oil spill

  September 1, 2010 3:49 PM

  Dozens of turtles that were once covered with oil, are now back home in the Gulf of Mexico. A rehabilitation center released 42 Kemps Ridleys turtles this week. They were among the first victims of the gulf oil spill. 3 The Kemps Ridleys are the most endangered turtles... more »

• New microbe discovered eating Gulf oil spill

  August 24, 2010 3:31 PM

  A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe suddenly is flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico and gobbling up the BP spill at a much faster rate than expected, scientists reported Tuesday. Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled since... more »

• Scientists say oil still lurks under Gulf surface

  August 16, 2010 6:26 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Georgia scientists say their analysis shows that most of that BP oil the government said was gone from the Gulf of Mexico is still there. The scientists say as much as 80 percent of the oil still lurks under the surface. The Georgia team said it... more »

• Testing almost finished on BP top kill

  August 13, 2010 8:11 AM

  Sometime later today, officials are expected to deliver the verdict on whether BP's problem oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is permanently plugged. Test results will determine if the BP gusher has been sealed well enough to declare the operation complete. National Incident Commander Thad Allen says the... more »

• Oil crews watch stormy weather over Fla.

  August 9, 2010 11:15 AM

  Officials working on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are watching a cluster of storms over Florida that could develop into a tropical disturbance. The government point man on the oil spill, retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, said Monday he is not currently planning to suspend... more »

• Cement plug has hardened; relief well to be completed

  August 9, 2010 8:41 AM

  BP may have the blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico permanently sealed this week. Engineers plan to intersect the damaged well with a relief well that they're still drilling - 20 to 30 feet at a time. Then they'll be able to pump mud and cement into... more »

• FDA declares Gulf seafood safe to eat

  August 3, 2010 9:15 AM

  Seafood from some parts of the oil-fouled Gulf of Mexico has been declared safe to eat by the government, based in part on human smell tests. But even some Gulf fishermen are questioning whether the fish and shrimp are OK to feed to their own families. Some are turning... more »

• BP could begin capping operation today

  August 3, 2010 8:07 AM

  BP engineers in the Gulf of Mexico want to start sealing up the blown-out oil well today, but first they're running a test. They plan to probe the busted blowout preventer with an oil-like liquid to determine whether it can handle the sealing-up process, called a "static kill." If... more »

• Gulf crews prepare to start plugging well for good

  August 2, 2010 8:20 AM

  Today could be the beginning of sealing up BP's blown-out oil well for good. Engineers in the Gulf of Mexico hope to begin shoving mud through lines installed last month straight down the throat of the leaky well. If mud forces the oil back into the massive underground reservoir... more »

• Ships ready to leave leaky well as storm brews

  July 22, 2010 8:05 AM

  Crew members aboard dozens of ships in the Gulf of Mexico are preparing to evacuate as a tropical rainstorm brewing in the Caribbean brings the deep-sea effort to plug BP's ruptured oil well to a near standstill. Though the rough weather is hundreds of miles from the spill site... more »

• Storms threaten to shut down BP's Gulf well work

  July 21, 2010 1:13 PM

  Storms are threatening to delay BP's undersea efforts to permanently plug the leaky well in the Gulf of Mexico. The federal government's oil spill chief says Wednesday that if a storm moves into the Gulf, ships would have to leave and BP couldn't observe the capped well. They could... more »

• Testing delayed on oil well cap

  July 14, 2010 8:26 AM

  BP is delaying critical tests on a new well cap designed to finally stop the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico after government officials said more analysis was needed on the plan. BP engineers were scheduled to start slowly shutting off valves on the 75-ton metal stack... more »

• Babies of the oil spill face an uncertain future

  July 12, 2010 10:26 AM

  The smallest victims may be the biggest challenge for crews rescuing birds fouled with oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill. Some have gotten separated from their parents, or lost them when they died in a slick. Lucky orphans are taken to a cleaning center at Fort Jackson, La.,... more »

• Spill could be contained soon?

  July 9, 2010 6:45 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - It could be a different situation at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico a few days from now. Crews will be replacing a leaky containment cap on the blown-out well, and a ship that is supposed to collect oil from a different part of the... more »

• Feds ask court to reinstate drilling moratorium

  July 7, 2010 1:16 PM

  Federal authorities have asked an appeals court to reinstate a moratorium on deepwater drilling declared after BP's oil well blew out in the Gulf of Mexico. In a filing late Tuesday in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the government challenged a federal judge's finding the Interior Department... more »

• Oil spill reaches Lake Pontchartrain

  July 7, 2010 8:34 AM

  Lake Pontchartrain north of New Orleans is the latest site where oil from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico is appeared. The lake was rescued from pollution in 1990s and had once again become a bountiful fishing ground and a popular spot for boating and swimming. ... more »

• No sunbathers for July 4th on much of Gulf

  July 2, 2010 6:37 PM

  DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (AP) - The Fourth of July is looking uncharacteristically glum for much of the Gulf Coast. Rather than crowds of sunbathers, the white-sand beaches are dotted with cleanup workers, booms and sand-sifting equipment. Many businesses are fighting the misperception that every stretch of beach is coated... more »

• Model shows high chance of oil hitting South Fla.

  July 2, 2010 1:23 PM

  A new computer model shows oil from the massive Gulf of Mexico spill has as high as an 80 percent chance of reaching the Florida Keys and Miami. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the forecast Friday. It shows a 61 to 80 percent chance of sheen, tar balls... more »

• Settlement in lawsuit accusing BP of burning turtles

  July 2, 2010 11:41 AM

  A federal judge says a settlement has been reached in a lawsuit that accused BP of killing turtles as it burns oil from its blown-out Gulf well. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said Friday that lawyers would be in court later in the day to announce details. The lawsuit filed... more »

• Oil giant BP picks up tab for Durango fireworks

  July 2, 2010 11:17 AM

  The fireworks display in the city of Durango will go on thanks to embattled oil giant BP. The company stepped forward to pay for the annual July Fourth display back in December, five months before the start of its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The display typically costs... more »

• Spill now worst ever in gulf

  July 1, 2010 12:54 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP's massive oil spill has passed a sobering benchmark. Based on the highest of the federal government's estimates, it's now the largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico. The ruptured well has been gushing oil for two and a half months, hitting the 140.6 million... more »

• Biden to visit the gulf

  June 25, 2010 12:20 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior Obama administration official tells The Associated Press that Vice President Joe Biden will travel to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday to review the efforts to combat the massive oil spill. Biden is expected to visit the National Incident Command Center in New Orleans and the... more »

• Fishing waters reopened in Gulf

  June 23, 2010 6:02 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - More than 8,000 square miles of closed fishing waters have been reopened in the Gulf of Mexico because no oil has been observed there. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday said the most significant opening is an area south of Mississippi, which was... more »

• Tar balls cover miles of beach in Pensacola

  June 23, 2010 12:58 PM

  PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Thick pools of oil from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico washed up along miles of Pensacola Beach overnight. Dozens of workers used shovels Wednesday to scoop up the oil and orange-tinged sand. There were a few sunbathers at the beach, but no... more »

• House committee says BP slow to pay claims

  June 18, 2010 1:44 PM

  The House Judiciary Committee says data it has collected shows that BP has paid less than 12 percent of claims submitted by people and businesses arising from the Gulf oil spill. The committee said in a statement Friday that only $71 million out of an estimated $600 million had... more »

• BP on hot seat in Washington

  June 17, 2010 11:56 AM

  A Democrat on the House panel that's grilling BP's chief executive says the oil company "cut corner after corner" and that led to the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Democrat Henry Waxman also says there's no evidence that BP's Tony Hayward and other company executives paid any... more »

• Live video from the Gulf oil leak, via the internet

  June 16, 2010 7:31 PM

  Nearly 5,000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, a black cloud of oil continues to spew from a ruptured well. Live video is available at several sites for those who want a look. Despite the somber subject, the technology is amazing. BP is now burning some... more »

• BP: Oil containment operations resume after fire

  June 15, 2010 4:30 PM

  BP says oil containment operations have resumed in the Gulf of Mexico after a ship fire caused by a bolt of lightning had shut down the containment for about five hours. BP spokesman Bill Salvin tells The Associated Press that containment operations resumed at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday. He... more »

• House committee critical of large oil company safety

  June 15, 2010 12:45 PM

  Members of Congress aren't reserving their criticism just for BP. They also have a few choice words for other big oil producers. On Capitol Hill today, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are accusing the largest oil companies of being no better prepared than BP for averting... more »

• Gulf Coasters skeptical of Obama, BP promises

  June 15, 2010 11:25 AM

  President Barack Obama promised that life would return to normal for people living on the stricken Gulf Coast, and BP said by the end of the month it would contain more than three times as much oil spewing from a ruptured undersea well. The pledges didn't placate some residents.... more »

• Exxon-Mobil CEO blames BP for oil spill

  June 15, 2010 10:34 AM

  The chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp. is telling Congress that the Gulf oil spill wouldn't have happened if BP had properly designed its deepwater well, followed procedures, trained its employees and conducted adequate tests. Exxon's Rex Tillerson was testifying Tuesday on Capitol Hill with other oil company executives... more »

• President plans oil spill address to nation Tuesday night

  June 14, 2010 7:15 PM

  President Barack Obama plans a nationally televised address Tuesday night from the Oval Office on his administration's efforts to contain the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The address is scheduled for 6 p.m. It will be the first time Obama has spoken to the nation from... more »

• White House and BP negotiate compensation fund

  June 14, 2010 12:21 PM

  The White House says BP appears willing to establish a multibillion-dollar compensation fund for people and companies damaged by the Gulf oil spill. President Barack Obama demanded that the oil company set up a independent compensation fund. And presidential spokesman Bill Burton told reporters the White House and BP... more »

• Obama to head to gulf in pivotal week for disaster response

  June 14, 2010 8:09 AM

  A crucial week is beginning for the disaster recovery effort along the Gulf coast as President Barack Obama heads there for his fourth visit to the oil spill zone. Obama will wrap up the two-day visit with a national address and on Wednesday, he plans to lay down the... more »