3 Years Later: Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup Carries On

BAY JIMMY, La. (AP) — The Gulf coast appears healthy three years after the nation's worst oil spill, but scientists and environmentalists are worried that problems may lurk below the surface.

The long-term environmental damage from the spill is still not fully known and will likely be debated for years to come. BP has spent billions of dollars on cleanup efforts since an oil well ruptured April 20, 2010, and spilled 200 million gallons of crude into the deep blue waters.

Nearly every aspect of the spill's environmental impact is under review, though much of the federal government's research cannot be released because it's likely going to be evidence in an ongoing trial New Orleans.

Scientists who have released findings are reaching different conclusions for the same questions.