Being near a solution is still not having one. Any industry that is this distructive to the environment and economy doesn't deserve the consideration of any nation.

...The Mississippi River Delta and nearby Louisiana coast (image top) appear dark in the sunglint that illuminates most of the image. Sunglint is caused by sunlight reflecting off the water surface—much like a mirror—directly back towards the astronaut observer on the Space Station. The sunglint improves the identification of the oil spill. Oil on the water smoothes the surface texture, and the mirror-like reflection of the Sun accentuates the difference between the smooth, oil-covered water (dark to light gray ) and the rougher water of the reflective ocean surface (colored silver to white). Wind and water currents patterns have modified the oil spill’s original shape into streamers and elongated masses. Among the coastal ecosystems threatened by the spill are the Chandeleur Islands (image right center)....(click title to entry - thank you)

It is completely appalling the level of risk the Petroleum Industry has engaged in KNOWING the delicate nature of the ocean environment in relation to the livelihoods of the citizens of which PERMITTED leases to be written against their natural resources.

There are eleven people dead through no other reason except pure unadulterated negligence and risk taking.  The well head should have been taken into the custody of the USA military as soon as it occurred and an immediate solution resolved. 

This disaster has caused issues now with the National Security of the USA and the Petroleum Industry needs to be banned from drilling any deeper than they currently have DOCUMENTED technology that is known to be effective in prevention of such incidents.

What does the Petroleum Industry think they are doing?  These are the natural resources of the people of the USA and they treat the citizens of this country as if we are a nuisance to them. 

Well, too bad.  There needs to be drastic measures taken against this industry and every day that goes by that it doesn't occur, is another day of danger to our nation, its populous and it natural resources, including economies that have stood far longer as a VALUE to this nation than this mess !

All the companies' executives involved with this should be criminally charged and imprisoned !

Light tan streamers snake across Chandeleur Sound in this detailed natural-color satellite image from May 5, 2010. The streamers are probably ropes of oil from a leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico. The streamers surround Freemason Island and arc through Chandeleur Sound west of the Chandeleur Islands. The image is from the Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=43903&src=eoa-iotd

THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO government regulations or instruments in place to protect the citizens of this country.  There were absolutely no measures IN PLACE in at the State level either.  This is negligence at every level including that of the USA military.  They don't understand how important the marine environement is to the security of this country?

And to think this industry was allowed to run rampant over our lands and assets as if they didn't hold value unless the precious Petroleum Industy could do as they please without any scientific process to dictate the safety of their practics.  This is some of the WORST governance I have witnessed in my lifetime.