Gulf of Mexico oil reaches coast; White House calls spill event of "national significance"

as well as administrator Lisa Jackson of the Environmental Protection Agency, to visit the site on Friday to ensure that BP and the entire U.S. government is doing everything possible not just to respond to this incident but also to determine its cause,” the president said.

Louisiana declares state of emergency

Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency today because of the oil slick.

Meanwhile, Louisiana shrimpers filed a class-action lawsuit against BP, the owners of the oil rig, and Halliburton, which they say was working to cement the rig’s well and well-cap. The suit claimed that these companies and others were negligent in allowing the explosion that led to the spill, which they claim now threatens their livelihoods. They are asking for damages of at least $5 million.

Jindal said BP had agreed to allow local fishermen to assist in the expected cleanup. Under the agreement, shrimpers and fishermen could be contracted by BP to help. Jindal said the state was also training prison inmates to help clean up wildlife harmed by oil slicks moving toward shore.

Billy Nungesser, the president of Plaquemines Parish, the county closest to the spill, said he thought BP underestimated what’s about to come ashore and are only asking for help now that it may be too late.

“We know the weather’s coming. We know the wind is going to be 25 to 30 knots coming, blowing that oil into the bayous,” he said. “Somebody’s got to be able to draw a line in the sand.”

Cleanup could cost $8 billion

With five times more oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico than originally estimated and the price tag for last week’s explosion predicted at $8 billion, questions about BP’s response and level of responsibility are mounting. BP’s Suttles admitted some responsibility for the disaster “because we’re the lease holder,” but assigning blame, he said, should come after the cleanup.”I can tell you we’re not worried about that right now,” he said. “Who’s ultimately responsible for what will come out over time through an investigations process.”

The new leak estimate is about 5,000 barrels a day, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Suttles told ABC News he still believes it to be between 1,000 barrels — the company’s original estimate — and 5,000.

The Deepwater Horizon rig was reportedly not equipped with a shutoff switch that could have been used to try to close