Source: USA Today

BP's oil spill, long considered the worst in U.S. history, is expected to set a new, notorious record today as the worst ever in the Gulf of Mexico.

The disaster, begun April 20, is nearing the 140 million gallon mark, based on the highest of the federal government's estimates for how much oil has spewed into the Gulf from the leaking Macondo well, reports the Associated Press. The U.S. estimate, which takes into account the oil BP is collecting, ranges from 71 million gallons to what's expected to hit 140 million gallons today.

The 1970-1980 Ixtoc I spill off Mexico's coast, which leaked 139 million gallons into the seas, has held the record so far.

The growing total is vital to track, because BP will likely be fined per gallon spilled, Larry McKinney, director of Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi's Gulf of Mexico research institute, told the AP.

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