BP Resumes Work on Capping Gulf Well After Government Questions Approach
9 hours ago
BP resumed its efforts to plug the Gulf of Mexico oil leak late Wednesday after a day-long delay that came when the federal government asked for further analysis of its approach to installing a new, temporary cap on the damaged well.
Engineers got the go-ahead from government officials to begin a critical test after it was determined that the operation wouldn't put put too much pressure on the broken well, making the leak worse, The New York Times reported.
The government wanted BP to answer specific questions about potential risks of pressure tests on the tighter containment cap that has been placed over the gushing well, said the official, who asked not to be identified.
"Our basic position was, if you can give us the answers we need ... then go ahead," the official told the AP.
The new cap put into place late Monday is seen as the best hope of stopping the massive leak that has been spilling oil into the Gulf since April.
Engineers got the go-ahead from government officials to begin a critical test after it was determined that the operation wouldn't put put too much pressure on the broken well, making the leak worse, The New York Times reported.
"We sat long and hard about this test," Thad Allen, the national incident commander, told reporters. "In the interest of the American people, and the safety of the environment, it was advisable to take a 24-hour break to make sure were getting it absolutely right."
Earlier, a White House official told The Associated Press that the delay was ordered out of an "abundance of caution."The government wanted BP to answer specific questions about potential risks of pressure tests on the tighter containment cap that has been placed over the gushing well, said the official, who asked not to be identified."Our basic position was, if you can give us the answers we need ... then go ahead," the official told the AP.
The new cap put into place late Monday is seen as the best hope of stopping the massive leak that has been spilling oil into the Gulf since April.
BP also stopped the drilling of two relief wells that the company hopes will permanently shut down the leaking well. The first one, nearly 18,000 feet below the water's surface, is expected to be completed in the next several weeks, BP said.
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