oil-spill events | Sunday

June 21, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

A summary of events on Sunday, Day 61 of the Gulf of Mexico spill:

WHITE HOUSE

President Barack Obama’s chief of staff is warning about what may happen if Republicans — who have defended BP — were to run Congress after the fall election. Rahm Emanuel told ABC’s “This Week” that the GOP philosophy is to paint BP as the victim. He said Obama will make clear to voters the fundamental differences in how each party would govern. Emanuel said GOP lawmakers and candidates are attacking the administration for demanding that BP set up a $20 billion compensation fund.

WORST-CASE SCENARIO

Newly released internal documents show BP PLC estimated 4.2 million gallons of oil a day could gush from a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico if all equipment restricting the flow was removed and company models were wrong. Democratic Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey released the documents Sunday showing BP said in a worst-case scenario the leak could gush between 2.3 million and 4.2 million gallons of oil per day.

RELIEF WELLS

Drilling crews were grinding ever deeper to build the relief wells that are the best hope of stopping the massive oil leak at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The crew of Transocean Ltd.’s Development Driller II finished pouring cement to firm up a section of metal casing lining one of two relief wells.

SPILL COMMISSION

The panel appointed by Obama to investigate the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has yet to meet, yet some panel members are making their views known, with one member blogging about it regularly.

BP CLAIMS

The head of the new office set up to handle damage claims for the Gulf oil spill is pledging that all eligible and legitimate claims will be paid — and paid promptly. Ken Feinberg, who’s the chief of the Independent Claims Facility, wants victims to come forward, file a claim for an emergency payment and then work with the office to come up with a claims program.