BP announced on Saturday that the “Top Kill” technique being used to plug the leaking well in the Gulf had not worked and shut down the effort which began early on Thursday morning. While it was hoped that the “Top Kill” would halt the flow of oil spewing into the Gulf, there was only a 60-70 percent chance of success in view of the depth of the operation.
President Obama, upon learning that the “Top Kill” procedure had failed issued a statement saying that “every day that this leak continues is an assault on the people of the Gulf Coast region, their livelihoods, and the natural bounty that belongs to all of us. It is as enraging as it is heartbreaking, and we will not relent until this leak is contained, until the waters and shores are cleaned up, and until the people unjustly victimized by this manmade disaster are made whole.”
BP has said that it would now launch a new procedure whereby a custom-made cap would be fitted over the riser pipe, which would first be cut. As in the case of the “Top Kill”, this approach is not without risk as it has never been undertaken in waters of this depth. Known as the Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP), BP said that this new procedure is expected to take about 4 to 7 days.
Meanwhile there are news reports that between 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of oil have been leaking each day into the Gulf. Some scientists estimate that 18 to nearly 40 million gallons of crude oil have already entered the Gulf, making it the largest oil spill in U.S. history.
Administration officials– Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco–are headed back to the Gulf region next week to continue their work responding to the BP oil spill. Their actions on the ground will be coordinated by National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, who is leading the administration-wide response and directing all interagency activities.
