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US Allows BP to Test, Keep Shut Gulf Well Despite Seepage
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - The US government authorized BP to keep closed the busted Gulf of Mexico oil well for 24 more hours to allow tests Monday even though experts detected seepage from the surrounding seabed.
A dead dolphin washed ashore in Pass Christian, Mississippi, Sunday, July 18, 2010.
(Photograph by: John Fitzhugh, Biloxi Sun Herald/MCT) Admiral Thad Allen, the Obama administration's pointman on efforts to end the worst oil disaster in US history, made the decision after talks with federal scientists and BP to discuss a seep near the well and methane traces.
"I authorized BP to continue the integrity test for another 24 hours and I restated our firm position that this test will only continue if they continue to meet their obligations to rigorously monitor for any signs that this test could worsen the overall situation," Admiral Allen said in a statement.
The announcement last week that BP stopped the oil flow with a new cap, as it conducted key pressure tests on the well, had raised hopes of devastated coastal communities that their three-month nightmare may soon be over.
But fresh concerns were raised on Sunday after bubbles were detected at the site, even though BP said it did not believe they were caused by hydrocarbons -- meaning the wellbore reaching deep to the oil reservoir below may be compromised and leaking oil, even as it is choked off at the wellhead.
While Allen stopped short of ordering the immediate removal of the cap, which has halted the gusher of crude for the first time since April, he ordered BP to draw up an emergency plan for the possible reopening of the cap.
And in a letter on Sunday to BP's managing director, he said the British firm must inform the government within four hours of when seeps are detected, and raised concern over what he said was "lower than expected pressure readings."
"While we are pleased that no oil is currently being released into the Gulf of Mexico and want to take all appropriate action to keep it that way, it is important that all decisions are driven by the science," Allen told Bob Dudley.
"Ultimately, we must ensure no irreversible damage is done which could cause uncontrolled leakage from numerous points on the sea floor."
BP's chief operating officer Doug Suttles said pressure was rising slowly in the well as expected and touted "encouraging signs" that would allow the new cap to remain on until permanent relief wells can be drilled in August.
"In two different locations we've seen a few bubbles. This is not uncommon but clearly it's important that we check everything very closely so we're monitoring that," Suttles said.
BP has said the valves on the cap would remain shut as long as no leaks are discovered. The start of a two-week operation to plug the well permanently by pumping in heavy drilling fluids and then cement is now less than a fortnight away as engineers have only 100 feet (30 meters) left vertically to drill.
Gulf residents, who have seen the crude tarnish their shorelines and cripple the local economy since a rig leased by BP exploded and killed 11 workers in April, reacted cautiously to news that the cap was holding back oil.
"I don't know if it's going help. It's still a short-term fix," New Orleans resident and medical researcher Ashok Pullikuth told AFP. "The permanent fix is the relief wells. This cap has saved a month's worth of spill damage."
Measuring devices on BP's latest cap have given steadily increasing high-pressure readings since tests began Thursday on the well bore, which stretches 2.5 miles (four kilometers) below the seabed.
Seismic and sonar surveys and video footage filmed by robotic submarines in the murky depths of the Gulf have been monitoring whether any oil or gas was leaking through the rock formations on the sea floor.
Allen did not specify what sort of "seepage" or "anomalies" the testing had found but warned earlier that "ultimately, we must insure no irreversible damage is done which could cause uncontrolled leakage from numerous points on the sea floor."
BP said in a statement Monday that the current 3.95-billion-euro total cost of its response to the spill so far included 67,500 compensation payouts totalling 207 million dollars.
The total includes the bill for containing and cleaning spilt crude, relief well drilling, grants to Gulf states and money paid to the US federal government, it said in a statement.
40 Comments so far
Show AllSince the very earliest conversations about capping the well head this possibility has been recognized.
Why in heaven's name is a series of tanker ships not on site to receive the flow from the well?
What is the motivation that places sea bed integrity at such profound risk?
This choice to dead-cap must constitute criminal action.
I give up and am going with Stephen Hawkings' extraterrestrial invasion concept. *They* want our resources and earthlings are going to destroy it all first.
That's my newest story and i'm sticking to it!
Peace.
Now that the well head is successfully capped, why not pipe the oil into tankers waiting on the surface? Opening the valves and allowing the oil to flow, piped, to the surface would relieve pressure "down hole". So. What. The. F*** ?!?!
They ALLOW?
It seems to me BP told simply refused to follow the Governments instructions. They are running the show. This was not the Government "allowing" anything.
Is the well inside the claimed U.S. limit? If not, then the US can huff and puff until it dies of exhaustion as its laws and diktats do not apply. BP is financially bigger than a lot of countries and will not allow its 'sovereignty' to be compromised by a mere government.
I don't argue with your point about the power of a company like BP, but technically, of course the US could seize that well. BP couldn't have drilled there in the first place without the lease.
Well what a deep subject. A leak how far ,how near , who knows ? What we do know, is that B.P. is willing to accept collateral damage in order to secure profits, we must hope,the leak is not by the huge methane deposit, located very close to the well, If the methane should rupture it will have horrific consequences,, a tidel wave 75-200 ft. high could cover Florida and parts the other five States , not to mention that pesky Mexico, (guess that will help keep them out of your Country) with oil, and B.P. toxic dispersents,and poisen the land for decades. They are already realizing that only a very few people would get away from this, and millions of Americans will die. To me this is an ObamaNation and a terrible outcome. Since our fearful leader has let B.P. secure it's own murder scene , we have no real clue what is going on there. The pipe they keep showing doen't even look like the one we watched for three months. I sure hope that if this tragedy should happen, that other more progressive Countries would come to our aid, perhaps, France, or Japan , Canada, somewhere that believes in protecting it's people not like this third world country we live in.
Yes, "If" the methane ignited this could easily kill millions of human beings upon Creator's earth. "If." And that is a possibility so what happens happens.
In Cause and Effect once human beings began using oil this set up all the consequences of anything and everything that could and will result upon Creator's earth from use from the use of oil.
If the methane doesn't ignite then it doesn't happen and millions of human beings upon Creator's earth won't be assigned to the Graveyards of Time at this time, so human beings and the other critters of Creator's creations will only have to deal with what has already happened in Cause and Effect. The workers who died on the oil rig have already been assigned to the graveyards of time. Lots of Creator's critters have already been assigned to the graveyards of time. Any human death that still results from the oil spill now will also be assigned to the graveyards of time.
So what happens happens.
Life is good. What an experience! It's always best to forgive
My heart weeps when I see pictures of the death and destruction that BP has caused and then I get angry when I see how the feds and BP are trying to hide the truth. I think they know the real situation and are trying to cover it up so that the press and the people who live there can't get the truth out to the world.
I listen to coast to coast Am and they have been right so far about what is going on. It looks like things are much worst than is being reported by BP or the feds.
You can be absolutely certain that anything coming out of the US Government is a lie. It has lied to often. I cannot believe one word out of any government official. In fact, more times than not one can assume the exact opposite. If the government tells us the well is under control you can be certain that it is not.
Science tell you that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Push the oil back down into the ground, and it will not necessarily go back where it came from.
Science will tell you that fluids always follow the path of least resistance.
And NO ONE could possibly know where that is, unless I'm misssing some technology that would scan every possible crack, fissure and rock formation around that well.
This is like unintended fracking.
Exactimundo! What about 2 miles away from the original site where there are no monitors or scientific equipment testing the parts per million in the seawater? No wonder the NOAA boys and BP are using security to keep the real scientists and independent jounalists from testing and reporting.
Rahm Emanuel made the decision that a capped well - even if it is a capped well that is compromised in the well bore getting ready to collapse into a giant sinkhole - looks better on the TV, and it's all about politics. Potential cataclysmic disaster be damned!!!
Sometimes, I forget it isn't Karl Rove and George W. Bush handling this fiasco.
All was well with the oil geyser for the weekend apparently, and I suspect that was so the first family could go on vacation without criticism. Now, on Monday, surprise, surprise seepage announced! or am I being way too cynical and conspiratorial?
Dave Lindorff on Counterpunch has article today that sums it up.
source:
http://www.kunstler.com/blog/2010/07/what-if-hes-right.html
"In the past twenty-four hours, BP has reported some possible leaks coming out of the seabed some distance from the well-bore. Nobody has been able to confirm yet exactly what is happening down there. One other thing Simmons said is that BP should be barred from the media airwaves since, he says, they have lied consistently in order to cover up their criminal negligence and culpability. The company itself cannot be saved because the claims against it are much greater than the value of its assets - but the people running the company could be sent to jail, so the incentive to keep lying remains high."
I am not an expert in these affairs, but perhaps they are just trying to get an accurate assessment of the pressure? Apparently, it is still rising and hasn't stabilized enough or for long enough to get an accurate reading. I have no idea whether this is wise or foolish, and whether the seepage will make matters worse. Isn't their plan to open up the well again and siphon off as much oil as possible? It's so hard to get any accurate information about the situation, and even harder to trust what we're presently hearing. Sigh.
You are such a silly dilly.....
But, have fun playing games.
Oh....School's out. I get it.
In the good old days, you could ring door bells and then run away. Now it would be risky.
Cheers!
Thanks, I really do not understand all the ramifications. Because you seem to be such an expert please do explain, on second thought, do not bother...not sure what you are ready to transform into, but I see what you presently are...a smart arse. But, hey, you are in great company here so keep up the good work--but please never ring my doorbell, and run, my dog might take that as an invitation to test the pressure of his bite!
My apologies, Chessgame. It wasn't meant for you. I can see why you were confused. And i usually don't respond in that way. I don't even remember who i was resonding to, because it wasn't even about this article, from what i can see.
It goes to show that multi tasking is not my strong suit!
peace.
I apologize as well, all that oil in the gulf must be getting to us today. Erased my comment to hairbraintrigger too.
From what I've heard on CNN, the relief wells are within a few feet of the well bore, so the kill procedure may begin any day now.
Just found Lindorff's article. It explains a lot:
http://www.counterpunch.com/lindorff07192010.html
Thank you for posting it. What a great, important -- though quite disturbing -- article.
I encourage everyone to read it and pass it on.
I love the way Thad Allen talks:
""I authorized BP to continue the integrity test for
another 24 hours and I restated our firm position that
this test will only continue if they continue to meet
their obligations to rigorously monitor for any signs
that this test could worsen the overall situation,"
Admiral Allen said in a statement."
I mean, don't you wish you could have heard that in its original present tense and imperative mood? Does that man know how to talk authoritative or what?
I wonder if EPA had used the same tone of voice when they ordered BP to stop the corexit...
From what I've heard, the government told them to open the valves, and they told the government to stick it the same place they told EPA.
Maybe if Dear Leader could get Bibi Netanyahu to ask nice for us...
NBC, msnbc.com and news services
updated 7/18/2010 9:44:22 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS — Scientists are concerned about a seep near BP's busted oil well, a federal official said Sunday.
Methane might be escaping through cracks in the seafloor, the source said, and that could be a sign of leaks in the well that's been capped off for three days as part of a test of its integrity.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38273995/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf/
"The announcement last week that BP stopped the oil flow with a new cap, as it conducted key pressure tests on the well, had raised hopes of devastated coastal communities that their three-month nightmare may soon be over."
No. The nightmare is just beginning for those who live in the gulf area. (even if the new cap is a total success and no more oil leaks out.)
Read yesterdays CD article by Ellen Cantarow to understand why the nightmare has only begun and will probably continue for a decade or more.
I believe that is correct, Mark, especially with the corexit mixed in.
According to CNN (disclaimer: not suggesting it's necessarily true): that only methane is leaking out and the pressure is still rising (6900 psi now?). Chad Meyers (CNN meteorologist) states that it's not unusual for methane to be leaking out because it's how BP knew to drill there for oil in the first place.
Dave Lindorff states at Counterpunch that pressure on the undamaged well is supposed to be 8000-9000 psi, so apparently the well bore and/or riser have sustained some damage. From my understanding the purpose of the relief well is go go BELOW that damage to seal the well.
While I do not like BP more than anyone else here, I still hope the succeed in stopping this thing.
Seems to me that if the well is never reopened to flow, we'll never get that accurate measure of how much oil it's been releasing all along. That measure will be used to determine fines for BP.
But surely that couldn't be the reason they want to keep it shut, could it? Naaah ...
i understand the necessity of punishing the culprit; but all the 'fines' in the world will not undo the untold damage of this crime against the ocean, its inhabitants and humanity................
If only Ellis Wyatt were here to save us!
"As our Chevron rises brightly over the Gulf of Exxon..." -Firesign Theatre 1972... I guess this might be categorized as a "smart arse" remark by 'chessgames56'. Here is another one:People that spend their time whining about other commondreamers need to shut the f**k up! Diversity is what makes this site interesting!! Every wavelength of thought is prescious,even yours! By the way, knocking on doors is the most effective way to reach people about ALL issues! Canvassing has resulted in countless citizens empowered by this simple face to face contact. Grab a clipboard, get out on your street, and activate your neighbors! If you crack a few 'smart arse' remarks, they will like you even more!!! Mirth First!!!
It's seems that mutual respect is unimportant to you as well as many others here, hairbrain. It's easy to be rude and cutting when you're behind the keyboard, is it not? If calling people out for being arse holes is whining, then so be it. As far as canvassing goes, there are already enough do-gooders from both the left and right promoting their pet causes; and many are just as self-righteous and fanatical as the religious right.
From your comment to me, it is clear that you'd be better served by working on yourself first, before you become the pawn of some movement claiming to save the world while making it worse. Regardless, I don't want you or your ilk knocking on my door.