The amount of oil siphoned by the mile-long tube inserted into the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico has sharply dropped in the past day.
BP PLC spokesman John Curry told The Associated Press on Sunday that the siphon collected some 57,120 gallons of oil within the past 24 hours. BP said Friday that the tube was sucking up an average of about 92,400 gallons of oil a day.
The company, which leased the rig and is responsible for the cleanup, has said that the amount of oil that the tube siphons will vary widely.
Anger with the government and BP has boiled over as the monthlong oil spill creeps deeper into the Gulf Coast's delicate coastal wetlands.
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