Detroit Free Press asks, Just how big a mess is the gulf oil spill? and provides some comparisons, such as “If you took the oil spilled in the gulf and converted it into gasoline, that would produce 58.6 million gallons of gas — the amount American drivers burn every three hours and 43 minutes. It’s enough gasoline to fill the tanks in nearly 3.7 million cars. And at $2.75 a gallon for gas, that’s more than $161 million worth spilled into the gulf.” It’s the shock implicit in that quote regarding the price of gas. In the UK, we’re paying almost $4 a gallon!

Obama says that the Gulf of Mexico oil “spill” is the worst environmental disaster the US has ever faced, but the Seattle Times wonders whether that’s true and cites alternative disasters that had much greater impact: “The Dust Bowl of the 1930s caused more social upheaval. The Exxon Valdez spill had a higher wildlife death toll. The pesticide DDT affected a wider swath of the country.”

So, from BP’s perspective (PR aside) is it a bad disaster? The NYT has the skinny: “BP said Monday that it had spent about $2 billion so far in its response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, including containment efforts, economic and environmental claims and state and federal costs. It has also paid out $105 million in claims.” Of course, those who “bed & breakfast” BP shares are cashing in, of course, buying on the lows, selling on the highs, it’s a bit like yachting – all ups and downs and you generally come out of it wetter than when you went in, eh Tony?

And, speaking of Mr Hayward, news just in says he has pulled out of a conference today at which he was expected to give a keynote speech on the global responsibility of oil companies…