Oil, Oil Slick | featured news

The effort to place a massive containment dome over a gushing underwater wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico was dealt a setback when a large volume of hydrates -- icelike crystals that form when gas combines with water -- accumulated inside the vessel, a BP official said Saturday.

There's no way to stop oily water from reaching land along the Gulf Coast, but experts will use tools both massive and microscopic to clean it up.

President Obama on Friday sought to reassure Gulf communities that the federal government is committed to helping them deal with the massive oil slick working its way to shore.