Day 65: BP removes cap that was capturing oil

bp-obama-logoSo much for Obama’s promise of “90% of all oil leaking from BP being captured.” The failure in chief has egg on his face once again as BP has been forced to remove a cap that was collecting about 20% of the oil spewing from the gushing well. According to USA Today, BP said in a statement that capturing oil and gas through the cap is temporarily suspended until the cap can be re-installed. Oil continues to gush from the broken wellhead, at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said an underwater robot bumped into the vent system before 10 a.m. Wednesday. It sent gas rising through the vent to prevent ice-like crystals from forming in the cap, AP reports.

“There’s more coming up than there had been, but it’s not a totally unconstrained discharge,” Allen said.

Allen said crews are checking to see if crystals have formed before putting it back on. A different system is still burning oil on the surface, the story says.

The Coast Guard also reported that two people working with the Gulf response efforts died, the New York Times reports. One was the operator of a vessel assisting the cleanup in Miss., and police were investigating the cause of death. The other died in a swimming pool accident, according to the Times.

Before the problem with the containment cap, it collected about 700,000 gallons of oil in the last 24 hours. Another 438,000 gallons was burned, according to the AP.

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June 23, 2010 · Filed Under oil spill


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