BP PLC, facing rising public anger in the U.S., began Monday its
third attempt to contain oil from its leaking well in the Gulf of
Mexico, but the risky operation could make the spill worse in the short
term.
The latest procedure involves slicing off the leaking pipe
at the top of the well's broken blow-out preventer, placing a cap over
the leak and channeling the captured oil and gas to a vessel on the
surface. BP officials said the procedure could take from four days to a
week, and it already has two different caps on the ocean floor, ready to
be deployed.
BP didn't try this approach sooner because it feared
the kinks in the pipe still attached to the blowout preventer were
acting as a choke on the leak. Removing the pipe could lead to a more
violent surge of oil.
Carol Browner, White House Energy and
Climate Change Advisor, said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that the
flow of oil could temporarily increase by 20% before the new device is
put in place.
The Obama administration is stepping up pressure on BP as the company's
successive efforts to control the spill—and the resulting political
damage to President Barack Obama—have failed.
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Monday, May 31, 2010
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