Looking at the Lodgepole and Ixtoc 1 incidents, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill looks to have the potential to even surpass the worlds worst oil spill in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf war in 1991. I don't think they will be able to cap the well before the start of the Hurricane Season. Estimates are that the well is spewing around $5 Million per day (a little dent in the $75 million a day profit) or about one third of one percent of US daily consumption. Basically the oil spill is peanuts in terms of actual cost liabilities for BP or any other of the big four Cartel, which control the worlds oil supply. Look at what the company is doing in the Canadian oil sands in north-eastern Alberta. Its not even on the RADAR in terms of public opinion. Cheap petrol is what they are concerned about.