A summary of May 17 events related to the vast oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon

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Some oil spill events from Monday, May 17, 2010

Events May 17, Day 28 of a Gulf of Mexico oil spill that began with an explosion and fire on April 20 on the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd. and leased by BP PLC, which is in charge of cleanup and containment. The blast killed 11 workers. Since then, oil has been pouring into the Gulf from a blown-out undersea well at about 210,000 gallons per day.

OIL SPILL REACH

With BP finally gaining some control over the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are increasingly worried that huge plumes of crude already spilled could get caught in a current that would carry the mess all the way to the Florida Keys and beyond, damaging coral reefs and killing wildlife. Scientists said the oil will move into the so-called loop current soon if it hasn’t already, though they could not say exactly when or how much there would be. Once it is in the loop, it could take 10 days or longer to reach the Keys.

BP SAFETY

A Washington-based research group says two BP refineries in the U.S. account for 97 percent of “egregious willful” violations given by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The study by the Center for Public Integrity says the violations were found in the last three years in BP’s Texas City refinery and another plant in Toledo, Ohio. In 2005, 15 people were killed in an explosion at the Texas City refinery.

LAWSUIT

A federal judge has been asked to shut down a BP oil and gas platform that operated with incomplete and inaccurate engineering documents in the same part of the Gulf as the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court says the U.S. Interior Department failed to investigate warnings of possible safety problems with BP’s Atlantis platform.

RESIGNATION

The fallout from the Gulf oil spill has claimed its first casualty at the Interior Department. Chris Oynes, who oversees offshore drilling programs at the Minerals Management Service, will retire at the end of the month, according to an e-mail sent by an agency official to staff and obtained by The Associated Press.

CHEMICALS

A marine toxicologist who was a veteran of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and Louisiana fishermen have called for President Barack Obama to order BP PLC to quit using a chemical dispersant in the Gulf of Mexico. Riki Ott, whose livelihood in the fishing industry was ended by the Valdez spill, said Monday that Venice-area residents are exhibiting symptoms of exposure to the oil and the dispersant, including headaches, nose bleeds, sinus problems and rashes.

WASHINGTON

California Sen. Barbara Boxer and other Democrats on the Senate environment committee are calling for the Department of Justice to open a criminal and civil investigation into the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Boxer, who chairs the environment panel, said that operators of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig did not appear to have required equipment and technology needed to respond to the spill, which has dumped millions of gallons into the Gulf of Mexico.

TOURISM

BP PLC is awarding $70 million in grants to help Gulf Coast states promote tourism in the aftermath of the massive oil spill. The company, which is trying to stop a leak spewing an estimated 210,000 gallons a day into the Gulf of Mexico, announced Monday that it will provide $25 million to Florida and $15 million each to Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. BP says the states can distribute the money as they see fit.

CORAL REEFS

Delicate coral reefs already have been tainted by plumes of crude oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, including a sensitive area that federal officials had tried to protect from drilling and other dangers. And marine scientists are worried even more of the deep-sea reefs could be damaged as the thick goo creeps into two powerful Gulf currents.

BARRIER ISLANDS

Gov. Bobby Jindal and leaders from several coastal parishes are pushing a $350 million barrier island repair plan as a way to protect Louisiana’s coast from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and reduce the ultimate cleanup and its costs. Sand dredged from the gulf’s floor would be built up in 86 miles of the gaps between islands, returning land eaten away by decades of storms and slower erosion.