A 100 days have passed since the April 20 explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 men and caused millions of gallon of crude to spill into the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama described it as the "worst environmental disaster America has ever faced", and environmental groups spoke in almost biblical terms of "dark shadows" and the "black hand of tar".
One of the first species to face risk could be the brown pelican, which has just entered its breeding season on Louisiana's coastal islands. The brown pelican was just removed from the endangered species list last year.
BP has been estimating the leak was flowing at a rate of 5,000 barrels per day, but scientists and the government have questioned that figure. Scientists analyzing video of the oil gushing from the seabed have pegged the spill's volume at about 70,000 barrels (11 million liters) per day.
In a statement President Obama said his administration will use "every single available resource at our disposal" to respond to the massive oil spill expected to reach the Gulf coastline within a day. He said the oil company BP ultimately will pay the cost of the cleanup.
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