It seems that the initial projections of the size of the Gulf of Mexico oil leak may have been, um, just a tad off. While the government said the oil was gushing into the water at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day (a figure that has been cited in most reports), the Times reports that, according to scientists and environmental groups, the leak — which BP has not yet scientifically measured — could “easily be four or five times” the government estimate. [NYT]