Have the Government and BP Done Enough in Response to the Oil Spill?

May 03, 2010— -- As an oil spill continues to inch closer to the Gulf Coast, officials and residents are bracing for what could become a large-scale environmental disaster. Roughly 200,000 gallons of oil are leaking every day into the Gulf of Mexico and, officials say, it could be days to weeks before they are able to shut off the geyser of oil.

Officials from BP, the company that owns the rig where the accident took place, are focusing this week on a plan that involves lowering giant concrete and metal boxes over the three leaks. Once the boxes are placed over the leaks, 5,000 feet below the surface, they will be able to siphon the oil out of the wells and onto a barge on the surface. This method, which will take six to eight days to complete, has never been tested in water this deep, so officials and experts are unsure whether it will work.

A third plan -- to drill a new oil well that bisects the leak -- is also under way but will take 30 to 90 days to complete.

While touring the region Sunday, President Obama assured the public that the federal government would do everything in its power to help stop the oil spill and protect coastlines and wildlife in the Gulf. The president also defended his administration's response to the disaster and promised that BP would pay for all damage that is done to both the region's environment and economy.

Still, critics wonder whether the massive oil spill could have been better contained if the government and BP had acted quicker when the rig first caught fire.

Our question to you today: Have the government and BP done enough in response to the oil spill?