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VIA CNN.COM

Federal authorities have given BP 72 hours to come up with contingency plans for collecting gushing oil.

In a letter written Tuesday to Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles, the government instructed the British energy giant to submit redundancy plans in the event of operation failures or severe weather that could disrupt the continuous recovery of oil.

BP said Wednesday that it has collected about 57,500 barrels, or 2.4 million gallons, of oil since it placed a containment cap on its ruptured well.

A second ship, the Massachusetts, started transferring crude oil Wednesday from the Discover Enterprise, which has been collecting the oil pumped up from the well cap, BP said.

These developments come as oil disaster hearings continue Wednesday on Capitol Hill, with the House and Senate tackling issues ranging from safety and cleanup to liability.

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