E2-Wire

President Barack Obama on Thursday said he is "furious at [the] entire situation" surrounding the BP oil spill but that his anger will not stop the leak.

In an interview with CNN's Larry King on Thursday night, Obama expressed disappointment with the lack of preparedness to deal with a spill of this magnitude.

Asked if he is angry at BP, Obama said, "You know, I am furious at this entire situation because this is an example where somebody didn't think through the consequences of their actions. It's imperiling not just a handful of people. This is imperiling an entire way of life and an entire region for potentially years."

The White House announced Thursday the federal government was sending BP a bill for $69 million to reimburse the government for costs of cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the bill represents the total cost to the federal government so far. He noted that President Barack Obama has devoted unprecedented resources to what could be the worst environmental disaster in the nation's history. And that future demands for payment could be forthcoming.

"To provide full transparency of the ongoing efforts and to ensure that the American public is not held accountable for the costs of response and recovery activities, the federal government will bill BP and the other responsible parties periodically for costs incurred by the federal on-scene coordinator to support federal, state and local response efforts," the administration said.

The majority leader cited the Gulf oil spill as the reason and asked chairmen to have recommendations in by July 4.

A Minerals Management Service official said the administration isn't allowing drilling in shallow waters; the administration says it is.

The White House and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) are at odds over the administration’s six-month ban on new deepwater drilling permits even as federal and state officials collaborate on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill response.

Jindal, in a letter to President Barack Obama on Wednesday, expressed “grave concerns regarding the severe economic impact” of the ban on new permits and a related decision to suspend 33 exploratory drilling projects that were previously approved.

Jindal’s letter notes that Louisiana’s seafood and tourism industries are already suffering as a result of the BP oil spill.

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) says Attorney General Eric Holder should take legal action to force BP to pay royalties on all the oil and natural gas escaping into the Gulf of Mexico.

In a letter to Holder on Wednesday, Rahall notes the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 allows the U.S. to recover damages, including lost royalties, from parties responsible for oil spills.

Rahall’s letter acknowledges that while there is a not a “precise” tally of the volumes pouring from BP’s blown-out well, government estimates suggest at least a half-million barrels of oil and hundreds of millions of cubic feet of gas have been released.

Adm. Thad Allen said BP was able to cut through a riser pipe and will soon attempt to move a containment device into place.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said Obama should send more military assets to the Gulf.