Fury and despair as BP admits oil could leak for months

[flamingdem]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/30/bp-oil-spill-deepwater-horizon

* The next big news will be the uncertainty that the relief wells will work. BP needs to be drilling more relief wells due to the difficulties involved with the procedure. PROTEST WHERE YOU CAN!

An uncontrollable fountain of oil could gush into the Gulf of Mexico until August, the Obama administration warned today, as BP conceded it was moving to a containment strategy after failing to plug the well at the centre of the most environmentally disastrous spill in US history.

As anger and despair grew in the coastal communities of Louisiana, BP began preparations to cut a leaking drill pipe on the ocean floor and attach a containment cap intended to capture at least some of the 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of crude spewing from its Macondo well every day.

The oil company, which has come under withering attack for its handling of the crisis, acknowledged there was "no certainty" of success in the effort, which will take four to seven days and which some experts say could make the leak worse.

A White House adviser said the US government was "prepared for the worst" after efforts to halt the leak by pumping mud, golf balls, tyres and other debris into the well were halted without success yesterday.

Carol Browner, the administration's energy czar, said there may be no solution until two relief wells being drilled into the oilfield by BP are complete later in summer. "There could be oil coming up till August when the relief wells are done," she said. "This is probably the biggest environmental disaster we have ever faced in this country."

(MORE)

[BelgianMadCow]

1. and now they stop the #2 relief well to take parts from it!

The well that was demanded by the govt - not on their initiative.

You can't believe it.

They should be drilling 5. Never mind the effort or the cost. At 20 billion profits per year BP has deep pockets.

[flamingdem]

2. They'll distract with BS and then surprise, relief well doesn't work

if CEO Tony said the Top Kill had a 60% chance he should be held to improving the 50% odds that independent engineers estimate for the relief well.

We need to push that but there's always the "rely on BP for their technical knowledge" problem.

The dispersants are a good example of how we are going to get screwed on the relief wells. They just ignore what the EPA said apparently, and the EPA covered by saying "they are examing the alternatives" ... for how long? 20 years like Exxon took to pay people in Alaska..?

I can hear it in August:

"relief well not working, it will be October when the next one is finished".