Oil leaking 2.52M gallons daily

A government panel of scientists said Tuesday that the Gulf well is leaking between 1.47 million and 2.52 million gallons a day of oil. The increase over previous estimates puts the maximum size of the spill at 2.1 million gallons per day, the Associated Press reports.

“This estimate brings together several scientific methodologies and the latest information from the sea floor, and represents a significant step forward in our effort to put a number on the oil that is escaping from BP’s well,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement.

The numbers reflect an increase in the oil flow that scientists think happened after undersea robots cut off a kinked pipe near the sea floor that was thought to be restricting oil, the story says.

“This estimate, which we will continue to refine as the scientific teams get new data and conduct new analyses, is the most comprehensive estimate so far of how much oil is flowing one mile below the ocean’s surface,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement, the New York Times reports.

The numbers are based on a combination of scientific data, including an analysis of high-resolution video taken by underwater robots, pressure meters, sonar and measurements of oil collected by the containment device on top of the well, the AP reports.

The new estimates come before President Obama’s prime-time speech from the Oval Office, when he was expected to press BP on its cleanup and claims payment plans, the Times reports.

Lawmakers scolded oil companies earlier Tuesday, accusing them of being no better prepared than BP to avert an environmental catastrophe as Obama toured the Florida coast to reassure Americans that the government had firm command over the largest oil disaster in U.S. history.

“My administration is doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes,” Obama said at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida. “I am with you; my administration is with you for the long haul.”

USA Today