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BP Plugs One Leak Out of Three, Cutting Oil Flow by 0%
By
John Del Signore
Published May 5, 2010
Modified May 5, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 5, 2010
Modified May 5, 2010
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Low Five! Using remote control submersible robots, BP has finally managed to put a cap on a leaking drill pipe lying on the Gulf floor about 5,000 feet deep. However, the victory was muted by the fact that the maneuver will not actually reduce the amount of oil being released from two other leaks, which are currently spilling an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil a day. Still, a BP flack tells the Times that this "does enable to us to make progress, to winnow down the focus from three leaks to two." But this thing could get even worse before it gets better.
During a closed door meeting with Congress yesterday, a BP executive conceded that the well could conceivably spill as much as 60,000 barrels a day of oil, 10 times the current estimated flow. But "help" is "on the way": By the end of this week, BP is expected to lower a 98-ton, four-story structure called a containment dome over the worst leak, "capturing the gushing oil and funneling it up to a rig waiting at the surface." Awesome, a new oil rig.
Tagged
BP
british petroleum
gulf
leak
louisiana
new orleans
oil spill
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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