Hayward hands over spill chores

BP chief executive Tony Hayward is handing over day-to-day responsibility for managing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to the company's American managing director, Robert Dudley. Word came from BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg in an interview on Britain's Sky News network. Dudley became a BP managing director a year ago with oversight responsibility for the company's activities in the Americas and Asia. BP officials later clarified that the process of the turnover has just begun, and Hayward will remain in charge until the leak is stopped. (Source: Washington Post, 06/18/10) Meanwhile, environmental scientists are looking at the Mississippi River as a potential ally in the battle to minimize damage to beaches and coastal wetlands. (Source: NSF, 06/18/10) The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil, many times more than spilled in the Exxon Valdez, has spewed into the Gulf of Mexico since.