BP's open wallet

A sand berm built by local authorities to keep oil off the beaches in Pass Christian, Miss.

• La. to BP: Show me the money

Sand berms are walls of sand, similar to sand dunes, designed to block oil from coming onshore.

In recent weeks, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and other local officials proposed that BP pay for 24 sand blockades to cover 128 miles of Gulf shoreline. They don't come cheap: The estimated cost is a whopping $350 million.

So far, the U.S. Coast Guard has approved six berms, the first of which is expected to cost $44 million. The Army Corp of Engineers will be charged with overseeing the building of the barriers.

NEXT: Lost wages