Oil slick to hit coast on Friday

clipped from www.reuters.com HOUSTON (Reuters) - A huge oil spill will hit the southern coast on Friday, the Coast Guard said on Thursday, and the military offered to help BP Plc contain the slick that threatens four states. The spill was "of national significance," Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told a news conference, adding the government will push BP to conduct the strongest possible effort to clean it up. The state of Louisiana declared a state of emergency due to the accident, which the Coast Guard said late on Wednesday was spilling five times more oil than previously estimated. BP and the Coast Guard have already mounted what the London-based company calls the largest oil spill containment operation in history, involving dozens of ships and aircraft. There are fears of serious damage to fisheries, wildlife refuges and beaches in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

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