New Orleans: As BP works to finally kill its runaway well and
anxious coastal residents breathe a sigh of relief, experts warn
it could take years -- or even decades -- for the Gulf of Mexico
to recover. Three weeks after the flow was fully stemmed with a
temporary cap, the massive slick which once spread for hundreds
of miles has been mostly dissolved or dispersed. Nightmare
scenarios in which tens of thousands of birds were smothered to
death by blankets of oil proved unfounded after the bulk of the
slick stayed offshore. Fishermen who feared their way of life
was destroyed are being allowed back into most waters. "There's
essentially no skimmable oil left on the surface," Doug Suttles,
BP's chief operating officer, told reporters on Friday. "Things
have improved quite dramatically and that's a combination of the
work we've done and Mother Nature." But while Suttles appeared
relieved that the well was finally plugged and should be
officially "killed" in a matter of days, he cautioned that
"we're far from fi