Senators head to Gulf as oil disaster estimates double

CNN Wire Staff

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/US/06/11/gulf.coast.oil.spill/c1main.oilhands.gi.jpg caption="A delegation of U.S. senators head to coastal Louisiana on Friday to assess the damage due to the nearly two-month-long BP oil disaster" width=300 height=169]

A delegation of U.S. senators head to the heart of coastal Louisiana on Friday to assess the damage caused by the growing BP oil disaster.

The visit comes as researchers have doubled estimates of how much oil has been spewing from a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico, reporting Thursday that up to 40,000 barrels, or 1.7 million gallons, a day may have escaped for weeks.

The four lawmakers, Sens. Benjamin Cardin, David Vitter, Jeff Merkley and Barbara Mikulski, will be in Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the early areas hit by the slick created by the underwater gusher.

Local politicians are expressing outrage over how the White House and oil giant are handling the disaster response.

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