Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

US media commentators consider the continuing drama over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

, sees unforeseen trouble ahead for the oil industry:

"In the Gulf oil spill, two big lapses have combined into a perfect storm of irresponsibility. First, the black hole in drilling standards highlighted by my colleague Elliot Clark of Corporate Responsibility Magazine. Second, the reality that BP had no contingency plan for a catastrophic blowout, but will nevertheless be partially rescued by government clean-up operations and court limits on plaintiff settlements. That perfect storm will result in two mammoth, unexpected financial consequences."

say that law firms with experience of previous big class-action lawsuits are now lining up all-star teams to sue over the spill:

"The prospects of getting big dollars in this case are good, too, lawyers say. They are eyeing BP, one of the five biggest publicly owned companies in the world; Transocean, the largest offshore driller in the world; Halliburton, the big oil services firm; and Cameron, maker of the well's failed blowout preventer. Anadarko Petroleum and Mitsui, BP's partners in the offshore lease, also are liable.

"Unlike the Exxon Valdez tanker accident, which happened in Alaska's remote Prince William Sound, the current spill could have a much bigger economic impact because the Gulf of Mexico is a busy home to valuable fisheries, tourism and shipping."

highlights concern that as the slick spreads, gaps in international rules over liability may become apparent:

"In the event of a spill that affects multiple countries, a number of global conventions devised through the International Maritime Organization govern prevention and clean-up efforts. There are also regional agreements - the United States, for example, maintains agreements with Canada, Mexico, Panama, Russia and the British Virgin Islands, according to the State Department.

"But experts say there are large gaps in what the international agreements cover."

draws parallels between the handling of the oil spill and the events that followed Hurricane Katrina:

"Investigations into the cause, or causes, of the accident will take time to sort through what promises to be voluminous amounts of evidence.

"It is already clear, though, that federal oversight was virtually nonexistent, and safety suffered because of it. Going forward, the oil industry must be required to meet a high standard for safety and training, and government agencies need to ensure that they meet those standards.

"Twice in the past five years, South Louisianians have ended up in dire straits because institutions that were supposed to protect us didn't. That should never happen again."

looks at how much responsibility the federal government bears for the spill:

"Does the US government deserve blame for the Gulf oil spill? It didn't build, own or operate the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that caused the spill, but new reports raise questions about its oversight."

report that methods used to tackle the spill may increase the threat to the Gulf's underwater environment:

"Experts say the well's depth and Friday's decision by the US Environmental Protection Agency to allow BP to shoot massive amounts of dispersing chemicals deep underwater may help protect vital marshes and wetlands on the Gulf Coast. But the trade-off may result in significant effects on more sea life."

Commentator , suggests President Barack Obama is too keen to shift the blame elsewhere:

"Here we have the most compulsive finger-pointing, blame-shifting, I'm-not-responsible-for-anything-that's-happening-on-my-watch president imaginable lecturing others about finger-pointing. He's like an alcoholic who sermonizes to his college-age son for drinking a Bud Light."