VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – U.S. officials on Saturday conceded it is “inevitable” that oil from an uncontrolled leak in the Gulf of Mexico will hit the U.S. coast, threatening an environmental and economic catastrophe.

“There’s enough oil out there that it is logical to think it will hit the shoreline. It’s just a question of where and when,” said U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. “Mother Nature gets a vote in this.”

VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will visit the Gulf Coast on Sunday to bolster efforts to avert an environmental disaster threatened by a huge, growing oil slick forecasters said was being driven ashore by winds.

The visit, which a White House official said would be on Sunday morning, signaled Obama was anxious to be seen paying close attention to the cleanup and containment of one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history.

By Matthew Bigg

VENICE, La. (Reuters) – The U.S. government pushed energy giant BP to ramp up its efforts to avert an environmental disaster that could cost billions of dollars as a huge oil spill reached coastal Louisiana, imperiling fish and shrimp breeding grounds and wetlands teeming with wildlife.

With oil gushing unchecked from a ruptured deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana, President Barack Obama’s administration piled pressure London-based BP Plc, the majority owner of the blown-out well, to do more to shut off the flow and contain the spreading slick.

VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – Louisiana fishermen, who say they face ruin because of the huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill, were fast losing patience on Friday with what they say is the slow pace of efforts to contain the slick.

Federal, state and local authorities and London-based BP, which owns the offshore well that is the source of the spill, are engaged in a campaign to speed up efforts to protect the coast.

VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – The U.S. government scrambled on Friday to ward off an environmental disaster that could cost billions of dollars as a huge oil spill reached coastal Louisiana, imperiling shrimp fishing grounds, oyster beds and fragile wetlands with a rich variety of wildlife.

With oil gushing unchecked from a ruptured deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana, President Barack Obama’s administration heaped pressure on London-based energy giant BP, the majority owner of the blown-out well, to do more to shut off the flow and contain the spreading slick.

VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – The United States scrambled on Friday to ward off an environmental disaster that could cost billions of dollars as a huge oil spill reached coastal Louisiana, imperilling wildlife, shellfish beds and beaches.

With oil still gushing unchecked from a ruptured undersea well off Louisiana, the accident forced President Barack Obama to put on hold politically sensitive plans to expand offshore U.S. oil drilling. In March, he unveiled plans for a limited expansion, in part to try to win Republican support for climate change legislation.

VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – The United States scrambled on Friday to ward off an environmental disaster that could cost billions of dollars as a huge oil spill reached coastal Louisiana, imperiling wildlife, shellfish beds and beaches.

With oil still gushing unchecked from a ruptured undersea well off Louisiana, the accident forced President Barack Obama to put on hold politically sensitive plans to expand offshore U.S. oil drilling. In March, he unveiled plans for a limited expansion, in part to try to win Republican support for climate change legislation.

ATLANTA, April 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. government says it
is close to a deal with Kuwaiti logistics company Agility
<AGLT.KW>, which is accused of defrauding the U.S. military in
the Middle East on multibillion-dollar supply contracts.

There was no word on Monday on the timing or terms of a
possible deal between prosecutors and Agility, the main
supplier to the U.S. Army in the Gulf.

ATLANTA (Reuters) – U.S. authorities slapped a new indictment on Monday on Kuwaiti logistics firm Agility in a case involving alleged overcharging of the U.S. military in the Middle East on multibillion-dollar contracts.

But the indictment remained under seal and it was unclear whether it would include fresh charges against Agility, the Gulf’s biggest logistics firm and the main food supplier to the U.S. military in Iraq and Kuwait.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) – Alabama’s Jefferson County is moving toward a negotiated settlement of a $3.2 billion debt crisis that could have triggered the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Talks are proceeding quietly among the county, its largest creditor JP Morgan <JPM.N> and other banks, as well as bond insurers. The discussions have led to optimism about a deal to focus on a big reduction of the debt principal, county commissioners said.