(CNN) — The first white mayor of New Orleans in more than 30 years steps into his first challenge as soon as he takes office Monday: the massive oil slick that is creeping toward the coast.
The fallout from a ruptured undersea well off Louisiana is spewing about 210,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) of crude a day into the Gulf of Mexico. And efforts to corral the rapidly growing oil spill have so far been unsuccessful.
The slick was still nine miles off the Louisiana coast early Monday, but seas of six to 10 feet have made deploying booms to keep the spill off the coast “somewhat problematic,” Adm. Thad Allen, the commandant of the Coast Guard, has said.
Full story: Oil slick awaits New Orleans’ new mayor – CNN.com