Siphon or Burn?

In the wake of the oil rig exploding last week, tens of thousands of barrels worth of oil is floating about in the Gulf of Mexico. With each day passing, an additional thousand plus barrels worth of oil is leaking into the gulf through the pipeline adding fuel to the fire so to speak. While the Coast Guard and other rigs are out trying to contain and siphon the oil so it doesn't reach land, they are beginning to speculate that at the current rate, that the mass will begin to show up on land as early as tomorrow (Friday). As of yesterday 4/28 officials are beginning to think of going ahead with the lesser of two evils, burn it, before it hits land. If land is reached, it can cause major ecological damage and severely hurt the shrimp business and coastal wildlife. Authorities have come to the conclusion that they are fighting a losing battle with trying to siphon the mass trying to be as eco-friendly as possible. Since there are a number of chemical plants in that region, those plants have been charged to monitor air quality during the burn since they already have the necessary tools to do so. This is all i know for now