SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
Well's Blowout Preventer to Be Replaced Before 'Bottom Kill'
from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)
Reporting from Atlanta and New Orleans -- BP and government officials said Thursday that they planned to remove the damaged existing blowout preventer on top of the company's troubled oil well and replace it with a new, stronger one--a move they said would allow them to safely carry out the final "kill" of the well, but would delay the ultimate fix until after Labor Day.
Earlier in the crisis, BP had estimated that it would be able to complete the final step to plug the well, called the "bottom kill," in mid-August. But because the well has not been spewing oil since July 15--when crews affixed a giant cap on the blowout preventer--federal and company experts have decided to move slowly and carefully, preparing thoroughly for possible complications.
"We're taking a little more time than we would have otherwise to make sure we've got everyone on board with what we're doing in a very systematic approach," said BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells.
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