Suzanne Goldenberg

There are concerns that the debate about the energy future could be lost in the wrangling about offshore oil drilling permits.

U.S. Senators are set to take a last run at producing a climate and energy law on Wednesday, betting on the spectre of environmental disaster raised by the BP oil spill to build support for a comprehensive overhaul of America's energy strategy.

The explosion that destroyed the offshore oilrig, Deepwater Horizon, at a well owned by British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico has been an environmental catastrophe. A surge of gas and oil burst through safety valves and exploded, killing 11 of the 126 crew on April 20.

OIL major BP said the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had cost it $350 million so far, suggesting the final bill could be much higher than many analysts predicted, and hitting the company

Renuka Bisht

New Orleans: As spring blooms in the southern United States heralding the arrival of fledgling animal life, environmentalists are anxiously watching the spread of a giant oil slick off the coast.

If the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon rig is not stopped soon it could be the final blow to an already dying Mississippi delta, environmentalists are warning.

The cost to BP of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, in terms of the clean-up, compensation for the fishing and tourism industries, and possibly punitive damages, could be $10bn (

It took futuristic technology to achieve one of the worst ecological disasters on record. Without such technology, after all, BP couldn

RUSHIKULYA ROOKERY (ORISSA): Mass hatching of Olive Ridley turtle eggs has begun at this major nesting site under the shroud of environmental degradation caused by oil spill from a ship recently.

The mass hatching, which started on Saturday night, is expected to continue for next two to three days.

Coast Guard officials were investigating reports on Friday morning that oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico had washed ashore overnight, threatening fisheries and wildlife in fragile marshes and islands along the Gulf Coast.