US threatens to take over from BP

OIL giant BP faced mounting pressure yesterday to control a massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico after the US government threatened to take over the response to the month-old disaster.

“If we find that they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, we’ll push them out of the way,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Salazar insisted that the full force of the federal government was bearing down on BP, which is legally responsible for dealing with a ruptured pipe that has been gushing oil into the gulf from the wreckage of an offshore rig.