The effort to stanch the vast oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was mired by setbacks on Monday as state and federal officials feuded with BP over its failure to meet deadlines and its refusal to stop spraying a chemical dispersant.<\/p>\n
The oil company had indicated that it could stem the flow of oil on Tuesday by trying a procedure known as a top kill, in which heavy fluid would be pumped into the well. But on Monday morning the company\u2019s chief operating officer said the procedure would be delayed until Wednesday. At the same time, BP was locked in a tense standoff with the Environmental Protection Agency, which had ordered the company to stop using a chemical dispersant called Corexit by Sunday. But BP continued spraying the chemical on Monday despite the E.P.A.\u2019s demand that it use a less toxic dispersant to break up the oil. The company told the agency that no better alternative was available.<\/p>\n
At a news conference Monday in Louisiana, state and federal officials continued to hammer BP over its response to the spill.<\/p>\n
\u201cBP in my mind no longer stands for British Petroleum \u201d\u201d it stands for Beyond Patience,\u201d\u009d said Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. \u201cPeople have been waiting 34 days for British Petroleum to cap this well and stop the damage that\u2019s happening across the Gulf of Mexico.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n