NOAA chief says her agency offers the best possible predictions for path of Gulf oil spill

NOAA says it is working to contain Gulf oil spill

BILOXI, Miss. — The head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says her agency is offering the best possible predictions for the path of the spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jane Lubchenco said Thursday at a news conference in Biloxi, Miss., that the agency cannot predict the oil’s path beyond 72 hours in advance.

She says NOAA is doing everything possible to contain the spill and keep it from coming ashore.

Lubchenco says she wasn’t as concerned about the oil that’s settling on the Gulf floor in smaller amounts because “it can be broken up more naturally” than when it’s on the surface.

That’s because she says the ocean will degrade the oil naturally and at a faster rate when it’s in smaller chunks.