Page 6 - 201006 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - June 2010

June 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 30/06/2010 11:46 PM Page 6 6 Timeline: Gulf of Mexico oil spill Timeline: Gulf of Mexico May 29 - BP says the complex "top kill" we've got for as long it takes. We will make BP oil spill maneuver, started three days earlier to plug the pay for the damage their company has caused." well, has failed. Reuters June 16 - BP agrees to set up a $20 billion fund June 1 - BP shares plunge 17 percent in London for damage claims from the spill, suspends trading, wiping $23 billion off its market value, dividend payments to shareholders and says it April 20, 2010 - Explosion and fire on on news the latest attempt to plug the well has will pay $100 million to workers idled by the Transocean Ltd's drilling rig Deepwater failed. six-month moratorium on deep-sea drilling. Horizon licensed to BP Plc; 11 workers are killed. The rig was drilling in BP's Macondo June 1 - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder June 17 - Hayward faces the wrath of U.S. project 42 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, says the Justice Department has launched a lawmakers as he appears before a congressional beneath about 5,000 feet of water and 13,000 criminal and civil investigation into the rig hearing. He apologizes for the spill and says feet under the seabed. explosion and the spill. everything is being done to stop it. Members of Congress accuse BP of cutting corners and April 22 - The Deepwater Horizon rig, valued June 2 - BP tries another capping strategy but ignoring warnings for the sake of profit. at more than $560 million, sinks and a 5-mile oil has difficulty cutting off a leaking riser pipe. slick forms. June 18 - Anadarko Petroleum, part owner of June 2 - U.S. authorities expand fishing the gushing well, says BP's behavior before the April 25 - Efforts to activate the well's blowout restrictions to cover 37 percent of U.S. federal blowout was "reckless" and likely represented preventer fail. waters in the Gulf. "gross negligence or willful misconduct" that would affect obligations of the well owners April 29 - U.S. President Barack Obama June 4 - Obama, on his third trip to the region, under their operating agreement. pledges "every single available resource," warns BP against skimping on compensation to including the U.S. military, to contain the residents and businesses. June 22 - Hayward is handing day-to-day spreading spill and says BP is responsible for control of the spill operation to Bob Dudley -- a the clean-up. June 8 - Obama says he wants to know "whose reflection, says BP, of the need for the chief ass to kick" over the spill, adding to the pressure executive to return to other aspects of the April 30 - An Obama aide says no drilling will on BP. energy giant's business. be allowed in new areas, as the president had recently proposed, until the cause of the June 8 - U.S. weather forecasters give their first June 24 - A U.S. judge refuses to put on hold Deepwater Horizon accident is known. confirmation that some of the oil leaking has his decision to lift a ban on deepwater drilling lingered beneath the surface rather than rising to imposed in response to the spill. April 30 - BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward the top. says the company takes full responsibility and June 27 - Oil washes ashore in mainland will pay all legitimate claims and the cost June 9 - U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Mississippi for the first time, although some of the clean-up. says BP must pay the salaries of thousands of had tainted its barrier islands. workers laid off by a moratorium on drilling, at May 2 - Obama visits the Gulf Coast. U.S. a congressional hearing. June 28 - BP is forced to defend its chief officials close areas affected by the spill to executive after Russia's deputy prime minister fishing for 10 days. BP starts drilling a relief June 10 - In his first comments, Prime Minister said he expected Hayward to resign soon. well alongside the failed well, a process that David Cameron says Britain is ready to help BP may take two to three months to complete. deal with the spill. June 28 - BP says it is now spending $100 million a day on efforts to cap the well, clean up May 7 - An attempt to place a containment June 10 - U.S. scientists double their estimates the spill and compensate those affected, dome over the spewing well fails when the of the amount of oil gushing from the well, bringing the total bill so far to $2.65 billion. device is rendered useless by frozen saying between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels hydrocarbons that clogged it. (840,000 and 1.7 million gallons/3.2 million and 6.4 million liters) flowed out before June 3. May 9 - BP says it might try to plug the undersea leak by pumping materials such as June 11 - Supportive comments from Britain shredded tires and golf balls into the well at lift BP's shares in London by 6.4 percent. But high pressure, a method called a "junk shot." the rise does not mend the damage done -- the company is worth 70 billion pounds ($102 May 11/12 - Executives from BP, Transocean billion) against more than 120 billion pounds in and Halliburton appear at congressional April. hearings in Washington. The executives blame each other's companies. June 14 - Obama, on his fourth trip to the Gulf, says he will press BP executives at a White May 14 - Obama slams companies involved in House meeting on June 16 to deal "justly, fairly the spill, criticizing them for a "ridiculous and promptly" with damage claims. spectacle" of publicly trading blame in his sternest comments yet. June 14 - Two U.S. lawmakers release a letter to Hayward saying: "It appears that BP May 19 - The first heavy oil from the spill hits repeatedly chose risky procedures in order to fragile Louisiana marshlands. Part of the slick reduce costs and save time and made minimal enters a powerful current that could carry it to efforts to contain the added risk." the Florida Keys and beyond. June 15 - Lawmakers summon top executives May 28 - Obama tours the Louisiana coast, from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, saying "I am the president and the buck stops Royal Dutch Shell and BP. with me." June 15 - Obama says in his first televised May 28 - BP's Hayward flies over the Gulf. speech from the Oval Office: "But make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything