May 31 (Reuters) - Here are developments in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the largest in U.S. history:
SPILL CONTAINMENT EFFORTS
* After BP Plc said the complex 'top kill' maneuver to plug its Gulf of Mexico oil well had failed on Saturday, it is moving to the next option -- the lower marine riser package cap, which will capture oil from the well rather than plug it.
* The company will know by the end of the week whether the new containment effort has worked, BP Managing Director Robert Dudley said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'
* Government scientists estimated that cutting the riser pipe coming out of the blowout preventer to prepare for the next containment option could result in a temporary oil flow increase of up to 20 percent.
POLITICS
* President Barack Obama, in Chicago for the Memorial Day weekend, called the oil spill 'as enraging as it is heartbreaking' after the top kill failed.
* Democratic lawmakers stepped up their calls for action. Congressman Ed Markey called the spill an 'environmental crime' and Senator Mary Landrieu demanded BP invest $1 billion in wetlands protection.
* On Sunday, the president ordered government and contractor clean-up resources in areas affected by oil be tripled.
COMPANY NEWS
* Dudley said that he does not think BP CEO Tony Hayward, who has faced heavy criticism, should resign.
* BP's total financial cost of the response to the disaster now stands at $930 million.
MARKETS
* Markets in the United States and the United Kingdom are closed Monday for the long holiday weekend. BP shares traded in London and New York could see a hit on Tuesday with the failure of the top kill. London-traded shares fell 5 percent on Friday on perceived delays in the top kill.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
* 'This is probably the biggest environmental disaster we have ever faced in this country,' top White House energy adviser Carol Browner told 'Meet the Press.'
(Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Eric Beech)
((For a Take a Look on the spill see)) Keywords: OIL SPILL/HIGHLIGHTS (kristen.hays@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713-210-8538; Reuters Messaging: kristen.hays.reuters.com@reuters.) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
SPILL CONTAINMENT EFFORTS
* After BP Plc said the complex 'top kill' maneuver to plug its Gulf of Mexico oil well had failed on Saturday, it is moving to the next option -- the lower marine riser package cap, which will capture oil from the well rather than plug it.
* The company will know by the end of the week whether the new containment effort has worked, BP Managing Director Robert Dudley said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'
* Government scientists estimated that cutting the riser pipe coming out of the blowout preventer to prepare for the next containment option could result in a temporary oil flow increase of up to 20 percent.
POLITICS
* President Barack Obama, in Chicago for the Memorial Day weekend, called the oil spill 'as enraging as it is heartbreaking' after the top kill failed.
* Democratic lawmakers stepped up their calls for action. Congressman Ed Markey called the spill an 'environmental crime' and Senator Mary Landrieu demanded BP invest $1 billion in wetlands protection.
* On Sunday, the president ordered government and contractor clean-up resources in areas affected by oil be tripled.
COMPANY NEWS
* Dudley said that he does not think BP CEO Tony Hayward, who has faced heavy criticism, should resign.
* BP's total financial cost of the response to the disaster now stands at $930 million.
MARKETS
* Markets in the United States and the United Kingdom are closed Monday for the long holiday weekend. BP shares traded in London and New York could see a hit on Tuesday with the failure of the top kill. London-traded shares fell 5 percent on Friday on perceived delays in the top kill.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
* 'This is probably the biggest environmental disaster we have ever faced in this country,' top White House energy adviser Carol Browner told 'Meet the Press.'
(Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Eric Beech)
((For a Take a Look on the spill see)) Keywords: OIL SPILL/HIGHLIGHTS (kristen.hays@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713-210-8538; Reuters Messaging: kristen.hays.reuters.com@reuters.) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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