BP has control over the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. They placed a fitted cap over the geyser as a temporary fix until a relief well can be built to fix the problem for good. After nearly three months there is no oil escaping into the the Gulf. Now the waiting game begins as the world hold's it's breath to see if the cap holds.
More then 180 million gallons of oil has spilled into the Gulf making this one of America's biggest environmental catastrophes. Many have high expectations for this new solution. According to WHDH BP's Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says, “It's far from the finish line,” and warns that it is not time to celebrate... at least not yet.
According to The Boston Globe the Senior Vice President of BP Kent Wells says the last of several valves was closed on a cap at the top of the well. It is not clear as to whether the oil will remain bottled in the cap, or whether BP will choose to use the new device to funnel the crude to the surface on to four awaiting ships. The next few hours will be critical as engineers and scientists monitor the well around the clock to look for any changes in pressure. Low pressure could mean more leaks further down in the well, below 6 thousand pounds per square inch or so.
Once the well is officially stopped the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration is expecting to track the crude in all it's formations. According to the WHDH website once the well stops leaking the NOAA will rely on low flying air-crafts to search for tar balls and patties as they can last for years.
It may be years until we see any improvement in the environment but then wha?. When the leak is finally fixed the real problem will be cleaning up the mess and dealing with the damage sustained by the crude in the gulf. Once evaluated we will know the true damage to the environment. We can only hope that this disaster will not affect our lives anymore then it already has.
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