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15 July 2010
British Petroleum engineers have made some progress testing the new containment system that could finally stop the oil leak that has been spilling into the Gulf of Mexico for three months.
On Wednesday, they halted the test after discovering a small leak on the side of the newly installed containment cap.
BP has begun critical testing on its ruptured well in hopes that it will lead to stopping the gusher.
"I was gung-ho for this test and I remain gung-ho for this test," said U.S. National Incident Commander Thad Allen.
Undersea robots working a mile below the ocean surface have started shutting down 3 valves -- checking pressure every 12 seconds -- with progress reports made every 6 hours. If the pressure rises, the spill could finally be contained.
This news comes after a nearly 24-hour delay stemming from an overabundance of caution. Government scientists and the U.S. Coast Guard wanted to gauge whether piping inside the blown out well could take the pressure -- or spring more leaks.
"They'll close it completely down and the pressure will stabilize around 9000 PSI, and that'll be it," said Eric Smith, the associate director of Tulane University's Energy Institute.
"Of course, the first thing we have to do is get that bloody well to stop flowing," said BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles.
Meanwhile, one in three Gulf Coast residents recently polled expressed that they are depressed because of the oil spill.
Regina Benjamin, the U.S. Surgeon General has traveled to the region to address the issue.
"It may trigger a deeper depression, or thoughts of harming themselves or someone else, or turning to alcohol or substance abuse, things that are more serious," Benjamin explained. "And so those are the people that we have to look out for."
Experts said even if the new cap stops the leak, it will take years for the the region to recover from the largest oil spill in U.S. history.