Plug the damn hole, Obama tells officials--from ABC News

Mr Obama has made it clear he is angry with the companies involved in the oil spill. (Official White ...

US president Barack Obama has vented his frustration over energy giant BP's inability to contain what is likely the largest US oil spill ever, telling aides to "plug the damn hole" at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

Five weeks into the unchecked disaster, BP has warned that its "top kill" plan to plug the gushing oil well may be delayed or abandoned.
The government has sent top scientists and energy secretary Steven Chu to meet with BP to supervise the top kill planning and the alternatives if it fails.
"We are not relying on BP, but we absolutely need their expertise," Carol Browner, Mr Obama's adviser on energy and climate change, told CNN.
"We have our scientists in the room looking at what is being proposed, at what is the next step. And, obviously, these steps are taken only after we reach agreement."
The White House pressure, however, coincides with a new government report that points to a "cosy relationship" between the oil industry and the regulatory agency meant to regulate it.
Despite a growing public outcry over oil entering critical habitats and fishing grounds, the US government has few tools or technologies to tackle the well blow-out triggered by a deepwater rig explosion April 20 that killed 11 crew members.
Equipped with underwater robots, BP engineers plan to inject heavy drilling fluids in the 1.6-kilometre deep well, a complex manoeuvre known as "top kill" that has never been attempted before at such depths.
Before BP engineers try to seal the well, scientists will run diagnostic tests "over the next day or so" to make sure the procedure does not backfire and make the oil leak worse, BP senior vice president Kent Wells told reporters.
"We have to be careful in terms of setting expectations," said Mr Wells, whose London-based company has seen about 25 per cent wiped off its market value.