Scientists in Florida are concerned that large plumes of oil floating beneath the surface in the Gulf of Mexico originated from the Deepwater Horizon spill, and want to test their samples against oil collected by BP. But the oil corporation is refusing to cooperate.

University of South Florida scientist David Hollander said he was “just taken aback” by BP’s unwillingness to assist in a scientific inquiry into the trouble. “It was a little unsettling.”

BP has publicly refused to acknowledge responsibility for the large masses of petroleum floating deep in the gulf which could be headed towards Florida. Company CEO Tony Hayward has gone so far as to insist the oil is “on the surface” of the ocean and that “there aren’t any plumes.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , however, is now saying oil has been discovered under the surface, although at “very low concentrations.”

In addition to not cooperating with scientists, BP has refused to grant media requests to fly over the gulf to capture images of oil slicks—refusals that also have been backed by federal agencies involved in the response effort.

-Noel Brinkerhoff