BP's Big Lie Exposed: Oil Company Admits It Underestimated the Spill

For weeks, British Petroleum has been claiming that its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was relatively small, about 5,000 barrels a day.

The critics challenged that figure—and the critics were right. Here's the scoop:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- BP conceded Thursday that more oil than it estimated is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico as heavy crude washed into Louisiana's wetlands for the first time, feeding worries and uncertainty about the massive monthlong spill.

Mark Proegler, a spokesman for oil giant BP PLC, said a mile-long tube inserted into a leaking pipe over the weekend is capturing 210,000 gallons a day - the total amount the company and the Coast Guard have estimated is gushing into the sea - but some is still escaping. He would not say how much.