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Chemical dispersants keep flowing into the Gulf of Mexico at virtually unchanged levels despite the Environmental Protection Agency's order to BP to "significantly" scale back, according to a CNN analysis of daily dispersant reports provided by the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command.

When the May 26 directive was issued, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said dispersant use should be cut by 75 percent.

Public statements at the time made by the EPA administrator gave the impression that federal officials were trying to cut down overall dispersant use.

"We expect to see a substantial reduction in the overall amount of dispersant used," Jackson said in May.

Before May 26, BP used 25,689 gallons a day of the chemical dispersant Corexit. Since then, CNN's analysis shows, the daily average of dispersant use has dropped to 23,250 gallons a day, a 9 percent decline.

Gulf Coast environmentalists say it's another sign that the federal agencies monitoring dispersant use are not being tough enough with BP.

"I think the EPA has been struggling to respond to this crisis," said Aaron Viles with the Gulf Restoration Network. "It's all really a giant science experiment and we're terribly concerned that in the long run the impacts are going to be significant and we really don't know what we're doing to the ecosystem."

But the EPA argues it deserves credit for getting alarming dispersant use under control. The directive states that BP must ramp down dispersant use by "75 percent from the maximum daily amount used."

And that's the catch. The highest recorded amount of dispersant used occurred on May 23, when 70,000 gallons were injected into the Gulf of Mexico. EPA officials say they feared that number would have become the norm and that's why, they say, the directive was issued.

"This escalation was quickly reversed, ensuring BP only uses the lowest volume of dispersant needed," said Adora Andy, a spokeswoman for the EPA.

But even by the EPA's own standards, BP still routinely exceeds the daily threshold. The EPA and Coast Guard say they're trying to keep dispersant use to around 18,000 barrels a day.

But according to CNN's analysis, BP has gone over that amount 50 percent of the time since the May 26 directive was issued. To do so, BP must request permission from the U.S. Coast Guard.

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off

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EPA scientists will meet with the agency's chief Saturday to discuss the chemicals BP is using to break up the oil slick caused by crude gushing from the company's ruptured deepwater well.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson's briefing on dispersants in Gulf Breeze, Florida, comes two days after the agency released results from its first round of toxicity testing on eight of the dispersants used in the Gulf.

The EPA study showed that the chemicals, when not mixed with oil, did not significantly disrupt the endocrine systems of marine life. But the agency has said it plans to conduct more tests of the toxicity of the dispersant when mixed with crude.

Researchers have estimated that between 35,000 barrels (about 1.5 million gallons) and 60,000 barrels (about 2.5 million gallons) of oil have been gushing into the Gulf daily since April 20, when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank off the coast of Louisiana.

Critics say the chemicals could harm marine life. But the Coast Guard has said dispersant use is "evaluated daily" and that it's using the "safest and most effective methods available" to protect the sea environment.

A CNN analysis of daily dispersant reports provided by the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command showed that the chemical dispersants keep flowing into the Gulf of Mexico at virtually unchanged levels despite the EPA's May 26 order to BP to "significantly" scale back.

Before that date, BP used 25,689 gallons a day of Corexit. Since then, CNN's analysis showed, the daily average of dispersant use has dropped to 23,250 gallons a day, a 9 percent decline.

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off