Reply #9: the oil is expected to hit shore this Saturday.

[Fleshdancer]

:grr:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471204575209843425073402.html?mod=WSJ_earnings_LEFTTopHeadlines

Despite these efforts, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official told The Wall Street Journal late Monday that oil is expected to hit shore Saturday. If that occurs, it could create an environmental disaster, harming local businesses and further incensing opponents to the Obama administration's plan to let the oil industry drill in new offshore areas.

The sheer scale and complexity of the operation highlights the titanic struggles faced by the modern oil industry. Locked out of easier-to-exploit oil reservoirs by national governments in developing countries, international oil companies such as BP, Chevron Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC each invest billions of dollars every year in scouring the depths of the sea for hydrocarbons and building massive high-tech platforms. But when problems arise, they're equally difficult to conquer.