Oil impact causes rift

MOBILE, Ala. - Questions about the severity of the Gulf oil spill's environmental impact have divided officials along state lines and are now creating discord even within coastal Alabama. Data collected so far show that the spill's effects have been "minor" east of Louisiana, according to George Crozier, executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. But a letter sent by environmental groups to the Obama administration warned of a "growing health crisis." Casi Callaway, whose Mobile Baykeeper group signed on to the letter, said that while it would be irresponsible to "cry wolf," it would also be irresponsible to conclude there's no problem. An estimated 206 million gallons of crude gushed into the Gulf last spring and summer after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 workers. (Source: Mobile Press Register, 06/12/11)