The Associated Press has deployed more than 50 reporters, photographers and videographers to the scene of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. They supplement nearly two dozen local AP journalists who have a deep understanding of the people, economics and environment of the states they live in and cover.

In addition, another 200 AP journalists have been contributing to our coverage, from Alaska to Washington, D.C. and Havana to the Philippines. The coverage ranges from a team dedicated to reporting the environmental impact of the spill to a seasoned group of investigative journalists digging into the legal, business and policy aspects of the disaster. 

“The Associated Press is committed to providing the breaking and in-depth news, in every format, that Americans and others need to stay informed about this unprecedented disaster and to understand its impact,” said AP President Tom Curley.  “It is a story without an end in sight, and we will follow it.”

>>What's New

This Week:

AP ENTERPRISE: Oil cleanup both bonanza and bust
The worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history has spurred something of an economic boom in some communities where cleanup operations are based, an AP analysis has shown. But BP's oil spill has delivered a double whammy to areas too far away from the cleanup to serve as a staging ground for masses of workers, but close enough to experience severe losses in tourism, fishing and drilling.

Caption: Convenience store owner Sharon Couture stocks cases of beer in Sharon's Discount Store in Yscloskey, La., Aug. 26, 2010. Couture's business, which served local commercial and recreational fishermen before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has remained mostly intact thanks to contract workers from nearby spill response bases. But she worries about the future, when the spill workers pack up and the fishermen go back to their businesses, convincing consumers that their products are safe to eat. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Engineers to remove temporary cap from Gulf well
The federal government says engineers will start work to remove the temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing out of BP's blown-out Gulf well so crews can raise a key piece of equipment from the seabed. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says engineers must remove the cap so they can raise the failed blowout preventer, considered a key piece of evidence in determining what caused the April rig explosion that unleashed the gushing oil.

Major study proves oil plume not going away
The oil is there, at least 22 miles of it. You just can't see it. A lot
of the crude that spewed from BP's ruptured well is still in the Gulf of Mexico, but it's far below the surface and invisible. And it's likely to linger for months on end, scientists say in the first conclusive evidence of an underwater plume of oil from the disaster.




Other Highlights:

AP VIDEO: Hope at the start of shrimp season
The drilling of a relief well aimed at permanently plugging the runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico is nearly complete, as fishermen in coastal Louisiana begin their annual shrimping season. It’s the first season since the oil gusher began.



Caption: Deckhand James Paul, scoops shrimp to sort from the fish on the trawler “Rolling Thunder” in Bastian Bay, near Empire, La., on the first day of shrimping season since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Monday, Aug. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CHILDREN AND THE GULF OIL SPILL

A third of children along the most impacted area of the Gulf Coast have behavioral problems, act depressed or nervous, and have trouble sleeping and getting along with others, a Children’s Health Fund survey of more than 1,200 parents shows. AP looks at some of the affected children and how they’re coping with events that are difficult even for adults to understand.

AP VIDEO: Oil spill effects spread to the children
As the oil spill cleanup drags on, children along the Gulf Coast struggle to deal with all the bad news, especially those in families who depend on the local seafood industry to survive. AP video journalist Mark Carlson talks to kids like Austin Verdin, who is only 11 years old, but understands the spill is “life-changing.”

Oil spill stress for children as budgets shrink, parents face tough decisions
Nine-year-old Zack Wilkerson spent a good chunk of his summer on the computer watching video of undersea robots try to fix the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil that spewed into the Gulf about 100 miles from his Galliano, La., home kept him from going fishing with his dad or to the beach with his family. As he prepares to start fifth grade, he wonders if some of his friends will be gone, their parents leaving the small towns on Bayou Lafourche because the fishing and tourism jobs are gone.

Well capping brings relief but fear of abandonment
With BP cautiously declaring its "static kill" a success in plugging the once-runaway well, and the Obama administration's claims that crews and nature had taken care of all but a quarter of the estimated 207 million gallons of crude that have poured from the blowout, Gulf Coast residents can already feel the nation's gaze turning away. AP talks to people who still remember promises left unkept following Hurricane Katrina.

Underwater crime scene: Spill investigators want to find undersea evidence
Now that BP appears to have vanquished its ruptured well, authorities are turning their attention to gathering evidence from what could amount to a crime scene at the bottom of the sea. The wreckage - including the failed blowout preventer and the blackened, twisted remnants of the drilling platform - may be Exhibit A in the effort to establish who is responsible for the biggest peacetime oil spill in history.

AP ENTERPRISE: Scientists think Gulf can recover
Want to know the future of the oil-stained Gulf of Mexico ecosystem? Look first to its muddy, polluted past. The recent ecological history of the Gulf gives scientists reason for hope. In AP’s extensive survey of Gulf of Mexico researchers, at least 10 of them separately volunteer the same word to describe the body of water: "resilient."

AP’s journey to the site of the 'static kill'
AP’s exclusive inside view of BP's "static kill" operation from aboard the Helix Q4000 vessel. BP claimed a key victory in its effort to plug the blown-out well, more than three months after oil began gushing from the sea floor, when mud that was forced down the well held back the flow of crude. The procedure known as a "static kill" appeared to be working.

Media Scrutinize Spill Report—Day Two coverage quotes wider array of scientists: http://bit.ly/9S5NPS


100 DAYS OF OIL:
The 100 days since the April 20 explosion on the oil rig Deepwater Horizon have been a gut-wrenching time for folks who work, play and live along the Gulf Coast. The Gulf is a sanctuary for some, an employer for others, and now, a tragedy. AP relays their stories.

"We're hoping that it's not 100 years." One hundred days ago, the explosion aboard a rig in the Gulf of Mexico brought fishing and tourism industries to a near standstill. In this AP Video, many fishermen say it's just another day on the calendar.

Watch AP’s accompanying video report.

By the Numbers: From gallons to dollars, the numbers involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are staggering. In this AP Video, a sampling of the figures, 100 days after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

Watch AP’s accompanying video report.

AP Interactive: Ecological Impact
The plight of wildlife in the spillB irds and sea life have been some of the most visible casualties of the oil spill. In this AP Interactive, also track its effects on the Gulf Coast, look at some of the worst oil spills in the world in the last 20 years, and view a panorama of the oil slick.

Many images by AP photographers are in The Huffington Post’s extensive slideshow, Gulf Oil Spill 100 Days Later: The Most Dramatic Photos
 

Caption: Roy Campo, left, and the crew of fishermen continue to sort a load of blue crabs after hearing about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill being capped in Hopedale, La., Thursday, July 15, 2010. BP finally choked off the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday — 85 days and up to 184 million gallons after the crisis unfolded — then began a tense 48 hours of watching to see whether the capped-off well would hold or blow a new leak (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Baby animals in oil spill face uncertain future
The smallest victims are the biggest challenge for crews rescuing birds fouled with oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill. AP follows the lucky ones, who end up in a cleaning center at Fort Jackson, a pre-Civil War historic site on the Mississippi River delta.

AP Video: First Person: Turtle Eggs Saved From Oil Hatch
Watch as scientists release the first group of sea turtles, part of a sweeping effort to save threatened and endangered hatchlings, into the Atlantic Ocean. The overall plan is to pluck some 70,000 eggs from nests on beaches across Alabama and Florida before they hatch and likely die in the oily Gulf of Mexico.
 
AP’s New Orleans news editor in PoynterOnline live chat on covering the oil spill
News Editor Brian Schwaner and three other panelists talk about their focus so far, the most important issues going forward, and what news consumers should pay attention to.

Enviro groups stunned by AP report that gov’t ignoring 27,000 wells
Leading environmental groups and a U.S. senator call on the government to pay closer attention to more than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico and take action to keep them from leaking even more crude into water already tainted by the massive BP spill. The calls for action follow an AP investigation that found federal regulators do not typically inspect plugging of these offshore wells or monitor for leaks afterward.

AP reporter: Seeing the oil flow stop “emotional”
AP's Harry Weber has been covering the Gulf oil spill almost since the leak started. In this video, he describes the moment when he first realized the geyser was under control.

AP IMPACT: Gulf awash in 27,000 abandoned wells
An AP investigation shows that more than 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells lurk in the hard rock beneath the Gulf of Mexico, an environmental minefield that has been ignored for decades. No one – not industry, not government –hecking to see if they are leaking.
Watch AP’s accompanying video report.

AP names editor to oversee oil spill coverage
Steven Gutkin, a veteran journalist who has covered wars, terrorism and political intrigue in more than two dozen countries, has been named to lead AP's ongoing coverage of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Q and A with Gutkin from Columbia Journalism Review

AP spot check: Despite BP promises, haphazard disposal work marring Gulf oil cleanup
BP PLC's work to clean up the mess from the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history already has generated more than 1,300 tons of solid waste, and companies it hired to dispose of the material say debris is being handled professionally and carefully. A spot check of several container sites by The Associated Press, however, finds that's not always the case.

Gulf lament: Everything's different now
Days filled with hard work but equally hard play – it’s the "way of life" so many on the Gulf Coast speak of fervently. Now that "way" is a study in sacrifice and survival. Long days making money while you can. Treasured moments missed. It is living day-to-day with the uncertainty of not knowing what next week, next month or even next year will bring. AP talks to people whose lives are forever changed by the spill.
 
Watch AP’s accompanying video report.

Some 70,000 turtle eggs to be whisked far from oil
An effort to scoop thousands of turtle eggs from their nests to save them from death in the oily Gulf of Mexico will begin in the coming weeks in a desperate attempt to keep an entire generation of threatened species from vanishing. The push is an “extraordinary effort under extraordinary conditions,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman tells AP.

Gulf fisherman: “Everything you see … it’s gonna die”
Charter boat fisherman Dwayne Price gives AP’s Bonny Ghosh a tour of oil-soaked Barataria Bay in Louisiana. Price says he’s “heartbroken” by the impact of the oil spill on the area and pleads for more help cleaning it up. More>>

BP: Oil spill costs reach $2 billion
BP says it has spent $2 billion responding to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. With no end yet in sight, that number is expected to keep rising. More>>

AP Interactive: How much is 125 million gallons of oil?  
Slightly less than half the Empire State Building or one-seventh of the Superdome in New Orleans. Get more perspective from AP’s interactive graphic. More>>

Gulf oil full of methane, adding new concerns
Vast amounts of natural gas contained in crude escaping from the blown Gulf of Mexico oil well poses a serious threat to marine life. At least 4.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas _ and possibly almost twice that amount _ have leaked since April 20, “the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history," an oceanographer says. More>>

Documents obtained by AP: BP’s worst-case spill estimate far higher than it said publicly
 Newly disclosed documents obtained by AP show that after the Deepwater Horizon sank, BP made a worst-case estimate of 60,000 barrels a day flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. That figure is far higher than the company had said publicly until this week, when the government released its own worst-case estimate of about 60,000 barrels a day. More>>

AP Fact Check: Obama left blanks in oil spill speech  
In assuring Americans that BP won't control the compensation fund for Gulf oil spill recovery, President Barack Obama failed to mention that the government won't control it, either. AP examines Obama’s Oval Office address and how it compares to the facts.
More>>

AP journalist dives iinto Gulf of Mexico: quiet ,scary and 'only thing I see is oil'

>> Watch the video report of Matthews' dive

>>AP coverage

AP Radio News covers the spill
Listen to Jon Belmont's newscast after the deadly explosion of the rig Deepwater Horizon and Rich Matthews' description of a "large, red oil slick" off Venice, La., his gathering of residents' reaction after President Obama visits Grand Isle, La., and his account of oil washing up at Gulf Shores, Ala. Jerry Bodlander reports from Capitol Hill as BP officials testify. Tony Winton watches residents pick up tar balls in Key West, Fla. Mark Smith reports on Obama's visit to Pensacola Bay, Fla. Warren Levinson interviews a shrimper who fears he'll lose his livelihood. Charlie Riedel describes his "Birds of the Gulf" photos. Matthews recounts his dive into the murky water.
Listen to the coverage

Documents obtained by AP: BP’s worst-case spill estimate far higher than it said publicly
 Newly disclosed documents obtained by AP show that after the Deepwater Horizon sank, BP made a worst-case estimate of 60,000 barrels a day flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. That figure is far higher than the company had said publicly until this week, when the government released its own worst-case estimate of about 60,000 barrels a day. More>>

Gerald Herbert's pictures of oil in Gulf of Mexico get wide play


Associated Press photographer Gerald Herbert has covered the explosion from the Deepwater Horizon rig and the subsequent oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico. Media outlets across the world have used his work. They also have interviewed him as someone who's been there from the beginning... More>>

AP IMPACT: Many Gulf federal judges have oil links
More than half the federal judges in districts where the bulk of Gulf oil spill-related lawsuits are pending have financial links to the oil and gas industry, complicating the task of finding judges without conflicts to hear the cases, an AP analysis of 150-plus lawsuits shows.
More>>

APNewsBreak: New, giant sea oil plume seen in Gulf
AP broke the story that university researchers discovered a second plume of oil in the Gulf of Mexico _ several miles wide, 22 miles long and 3,000 feet deep.
More>>

AP IMPACT: Bad cement jobs plague offshore rigs
The tricky process of sealing an offshore oil well with cement, suspected as a major contributor to the Gulf of Mexico disaster, has failed dozens of times in the past, according to an AP investigation.
More>>

FIRST LOOK: Video of oil’s impact on Breton Wildlife Refuge
AP had an exclusive first look at the oil’s impact on the Breton Wildlife Refuge. Our journalists joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a tour and documented the effects on delicate wildlife, including a brown pelican seen walking and swimming in visible patches of oil.

AP IMPACT: Federal inspections on rig not as claimed
An AP investigation finds that federal inspectors did not visit offshore oil rigs like the fallen Deepwater Horizon as often as they claimed. Officials had said inspectors were there at least once a month, but AP found that, in fact, they have missed one of every four months over the past five-plus years.More>>

AP’s exclusive ridealong on a mission to cap the oil leak
AP had an exclusive front-row seat on the Joe Griffin, a ship that traveled to the site of the BP oil rig explosion, as it carried a vessel designed to contain the oil and siphon it to a tanker on the surface. For seven days, AP’s Harry Weber and Gerald Herbert were the only media within sight of the well.Follow Weber on Facebook

Inferno on the Gulf: Witnesses recount rig blast
Oleander Benton was chatting with a friend in the laundry when the lights went out. The other woman had just gotten up to find a maintenance person when the deep-sea oil rig shook with an ear-shattering "BANG," followed by a long, loud "hisssss." AP uncovers transcripts of BP interviews with survivors of the April 20 oil rig explosion that unleashed the spill. More>>

AP Interactive: Largest oil spill in U.S. history


Track the oil slick, look at ways to stop oil leaks, consider possible causes and ways to clean up the oil in this AP Interactive.

AP Interactive: Ecological impact
Click on the map to see the oil’s impact on the environment in that region. Run through a timeline of the of the world’s worst oil spills in the last 20 years in this AP Interactive.

AP INVESTIGATION: Blowout preventers known to fail
The valve meant to prevent a blowout like the one that caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster had a history of failure, according to an AP Investigation. The device played a role in at least 14 accidents since 2005, reports show.More>>

AP is there as first waves of oil reach the Mississippi River Delta
AP journalists aren’t content to hear the news; they want to see it. As the massive oil spill reaches the Louisiana coast, an AP crew goes out on a boat to capture the moment. Meanwhile, reporters and TV crews from around the country wait on shore at a command center where the Coast Guard, British Petroleum and the government hold briefings.

>>Media
If you would like to pursue the story further, contact our director of media relations, Paul Colford, at 212.621.1720 or pcolford@ap.org