The Tropical Storm Alex is expected to be bumped back up to a hurricane, and is expected to delay the clean work on the BP oil spill in the US Gulf Coast. See the video.

BP has been claiming all along that it has the fool proof solution to stop the run-a-way gusher from its busted well -- drill a relief well, and then pump heavy mud through it into the leaking well. The New York Times (NYT) reports that the feds have asked BP THE Question -- The question I have been wanting to ask: What if that doesn't work, then what?

The NYT reports that that government officials and BP are discussing long-term containment plans in the "unlikely-but-possible" case that the relief well, which is not scheduled to be finished until sometime in August, fails. With the way our luck has been going, somebody should have discussed this all along. Also the NYT reports, BP doesn't have enough vessels on the scene to collect the oil that its gadget is capturing from the gusher. Figures from BP are suspect. It says it is waiting for the delivery a third containment vessel, which is due to arrive in about a week. This is supposed to increase BP's collection capacity from 28,000 barrels of oil a day to 53,000. Between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels of oil, every day, BP is not collecting and are spilling into the Gulf -- each day.  Again, figures from BP are suspect. The amount of leaking oil probably is much greater. Just by taking BP's figures, there is only one conclusion to draw, a negative one,  and there is one thing to say --

Oh Hell, BP!.