Tuesday: BP Set to Try Capping Leak; ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Deal Struck

Residents of Chalmette, Louisiana, attend a discussion Monday with parish officials and a BP representative on the oil spill clean up efforts. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images.

The Environmental Protection Agency won’t call on BP to stop using chemical dispersants to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but it expects the company will scale back its use of the controversial dispersant Corexit.

Government officials, along with outside experts, have voiced concerns about the environmental impact of the approximately 700,000 gallons of Corexit that BP has used to break up the oil.

“We have not yet crossed the line where we should take that tool off the table altogether,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said at a press conference in Louisiana late Monday. However, Jackson added that she expected up to an 80 percent reduction of dispersant use over the next few days as the EPA conducts toxicity testing.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is coordinating the federal response to the spill, addressed the issue of dispersants to Jeffrey Brown on Monday’s NewsHour:

“The question that has been asked of BP is, within the range of approved EPA dispersants, are some less toxic than others, and, given the amount that we are starting to use right now, should we reassess the one that is being used, and, if there is another that is available, what are the implications for logistics, supply, and what is the feasibility of doing that?”

While BP and the EPA sort out possible alternatives for Corexit, the company as early as Wednesday will pump heavy fluids and cement in an effort to halt the leak. The company’s backup plan, reports the Wall Street Journal, would be to “cut through the leaking pipeline attached to the blowout preventer at the well head and attach a lower marine riser package that would divert the leaking oil to a ship at the surface.”

Obama Endorses Deal on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

The Obama administration is endorsing a compromise that would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy which bans openly gay men women from military service.

Under the deal finalized Monday and negotiated between the Pentagon and lawmakers, Congress would vote on amendments within a broader defense spending bill to repeal the Clinton-era policy. Any changes to military policy, however, would not take effect until after the Defense Department completes a review of how a repeal would impact troops. That review is due to Congress on Dec. 1.

House Set to Vote on Tax Cuts

The House is expected to vote as early as Tuesday on a $200 billion package of tax cuts that would also extend jobless benefits through the end of the year. Yet with the nation’s debt at its highest level in nearly 60 years, the legislation is expected to ignite a high-stakes debate over government spending ahead of November’s mid-term elections.

The measure is facing resistance on both sides of the aisle, and as Politico reports, “This week’s floor debate will be its own proxy war, testing how far Democrats can go to meet core priorities in the face of record deficits.”

China Summit Ends

China and the United States finished two days of high-level meetings in Beijing on Tuesday. Despite progress on trade and energy initiatives, both sides failed to reach consensus on the issue of China’s currency or a response to heightening tensions on the Korean peninsula.