CNN 2010-05-26

The EPA is now telling BP to change the chemical dispersant. The government agency wants BP to choose something less toxic¹ now. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on one alternative that is already to go.

Hundreds of containers are just sitting here in the Houston sun. To some, it's just another example of the mismanagement of the oil spill.  The containers are full of a chemical dispersant called Sea Brat² 4.  Why is it sitting here, and not in the ocean instead? No one really knows, especially since BP's on record as saying it would use the stuff.

We also have a second product now identified to use called Sea Brat 4, which we will begin introducing into the -- the process as well.

That's what BP said almost a week ago. But we found the Sea Brat 4 just sitting here in an industrial park outside of Houston, Texas. You're looking at it, almost 100,000 gallons of the less toxic dispersant. Guess who ordered it?  BP did, on May 4, almost three weeks ago.

This is Sea Brat. It's in totes ready for delivery.

John Sheffield is president of the company that makes Sea Brat 4.

Do you think it's weird³ that stuff's just sitting here in the Houston area?

It's ridiculous.  It's ridiculous.  You know, I think something's intentionally⁴ trying to stop us from getting our product in the water.

EPA and Coast Guard officials say there's nothing stopping BP from using Sea Brat 4.  Sheffield says that, by now, he could be making 50,000 to 100,000 gallons of dispersant a day.

But a BP spokesman will only say the company had to use what was readily available and stockpiled, and it has been asked to find alternatives to the current dispersant, Corexit, and that's what they're in the process of doing.

Getting a direct answer is even hard for Congress to get, as they grilled⁵ BP executive Lamar McKay this week about the issue.

Who decided⁶ which dispersant to use?  BP?

LAMAR MCKAY, PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN, BP AMERICA, INC.: I don't know the --

NADLER: You don't know?

MCKAY: I don't know the individual who decided which --

NADLER: I didn't ask the individual.

MCKAY: I don't --

NADLER: Was it the -- BP who decided, or was it the national -- the government who decided, or the national incident command?

MCKAY: I don't know.  I don't know.

NADLER: You don't know. Could you find out for us, please?

MCKAY: Yes.

Easier said than done.  There's still no word on who's making that call, while 100,000 gallons of potential help sits hundreds of miles away.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 brat   

n.孩子；顽童

参考例句：

• He's a spoilt brat.他是一个被宠坏了的调皮孩子。
• The brat sicked his dog on the passer-by.那个顽童纵狗去咬过路人。

3 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

4 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

5 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。