The people and wildlife of the Gulf are getting a respite, at least for the moment, from the millions of gallons of oil that have been flowing into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20:
Oil stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in nearly three months, as BP resumed a critical and repeatedly delayed integrity test Thursday of its well.
BP could not guarantee that no oil would be released throughout the duration of the test, which will continue for at least 6 hours and could last up to 48 hours.
“It felt very good not to see any oil go into the Gulf of Mexico,” BP senior vice president Kent Wells told reporters during a Thursday afternoon technical update. “Clearly, I’m trying to maintain a strict focus but we are very encouraged.”
Oil stopped gushing at 2:25 p.m., Wells said, when engineers closed the choke line.
BP could not guarantee that no oil would be released throughout the duration of the test, which will continue for at least 6 hours and could last up to 48 hours.
“It felt very good not to see any oil go into the Gulf of Mexico,” BP senior vice president Kent Wells told reporters during a Thursday afternoon technical update. “Clearly, I’m trying to maintain a strict focus but we are very encouraged.”
Oil stopped gushing at 2:25 p.m., Wells said, when engineers closed the choke line.
It’s a bit premature to rejoice too much, but it’s nice to hear some good news. It’s not too early, howver, to be inspired by the story of how this solution came to be. An anonymous “Mystery Plumber” may have come up with the only idea that’s actually succeeded in stopping the oil flow:
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