Lawmakers warn bigger threat may come from oil lurking beneath the surface – Ask White House for immediate tracking effort

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the administration grapples with exactly how much oil is flowing into the sea from the downed Deepwater Horizon rig, two other major questions need to be answered quickly, says U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other lawmakers in Florida’s congressional delegation.

“It is deeply disturbing that oil is moving into the Gulf loop current and there is insufficient data regarding how much oil remains below the surface and whether or not that oil is moving in tandem with the surface oil,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “Florida’s environment and economy depend upon accurate information so that we can prepare as best possible for the potential damage caused by oil reaching our state.”

How much of the oil is not on the surface but is spreading deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico – and, where is it going?

Just yesterday, BP finally conceded that its 210,000 gallons-a-day estimate of the leak was wrong. In fact, it could be ten times that much or more, some scientists say. The company’s concession came after it made public various videos showing oil gushing from the well and broken pipes, which it did under pressure from Nelson and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California.

In a letter today to President Barack Obama, Nelson, Wasserman Schultz and other members of Florida’s congressional delegation asked that the government undertake an immediate effort to determine the amount and distribution of the oil moving beneath the Gulf’s surface.

“There’s a significant oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter to Obama. “What is much less clear is how much subsurface oil is headed towards our shores. This is critical information to … prepare for the unfolding crisis.”

Nelson’s staff also talked with Navy officials to determine specifically what resources might be available for such an effort. The Navy, Nelson said, has so-called Special Mission Ships, which conduct acoustic and geophysical surveys to chart large swaths of the ocean. It also has sonobouys, which can measure various anomalies underwater.

Meantime, the Gulf coast states are facing the start of hurricane season on June 1 to Nov. 30, and that could make matters even worse. Some weather forecasters and scientists say a big storm could bring up oil from the deep and then carry it ashore and farther inland.