July 14th, 2010
|
Author: Published: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 7:35 PM Updated: Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 7:37 PM
Developments today in the fight against the Gulf oil spill:
BP allayed last-minute government fears of making the disaster worse and began testing the new, tighter-fitting cap Wednesday that could finally choke off the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The test began with BP shutting off pipes that were funneling some of the oil to ships on the surface so the full force of the gusher went up into the cap. Then deep-sea robots began slowly closing, one at a time, three openings in the cap that let oil pass through. Ultimately, the flow of crude will be blocked entirely. All along, engineers will be watching pressure readings to learn whether the well is intact.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said today the federal government could hold other companies involved in the oil spill liable for cleanup and claims costs. “We’re looking at all the companies involved in the spill,” he said at a news briefing on Dauphin Island this afternoon. “We’re bound and determined to hold all of them accountable.”
BP’s use of chemicals to disperse the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is coming under renewed scrutiny, as environmentalists head to court to seek more information about potential health hazards and a Senate panel plans a Thursday hearing on the issue. Earthjustice filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday in Florida to force the Environmental Protection Agency to turn over safety studies on the chemicals.
Posted in