The Leak Is Over: BP, USCG Declare Macondo Well Permanently Sealed

by Miles Wolf Tamboli - The Talk Radio News Service

After five months, the BP Deepwater Macondo Well has finally been permanently sealed.  

“We can now state, definitively, that the Macondo well poses no continuing threat to the Gulf of Mexico,” said National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen in a statement released by the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command on Sunday.

Pressure testing was completed early Sunday morning, assuring crews that the well is in fact completely sealed, and that the cement has set.

“This is a significant milestone in the response to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and is the final step in a complex and unprecedented subsea operation - finally confirming that this well no longer presents a threat to the Gulf of Mexico,” said Tony Hayward, petroleum mogul BP’s group chief executive, in a press release issued Sunday by BP. 

The final plugging of the well was enabled by the drilling of a relief well, which the administration has been touting as the only final answer to the months long leak since the beginning, despite having essentially capped the well with a customized stacking cap in mid July.  The relief well intercepted the Macondo’s annulus last wednesday, and began pumping a cement mixture into the open space on Friday.

The deepwater Macondo well, owned and operated by an amalgam of international corporations - including Britain’s BP and Halliburton, and the Swiss company Transocean - spewed millions of barrels of Sweet Louisiana Crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico after the rig exploded in a string of mishaps that took the lives of 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig, and crippled the Gulf Coast’s economy, which relies heavily upon the triumvirate of fishing, tourism, and oil industries.

As of Friday, 39,885 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters remain closed to fishing in response to public health and safety concerns, and approximately 600 miles of coastline are still experiencing some oil impacts, primarily in Louisiana, according to the Deepwater Horizon Joint Incident Command. 

BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay said Sunday; “BP remains committed to remedying the harm that the spill caused to the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast environment, and to the livelihoods of the people across the region.” 

5 Years Post-Katrina, President Obama Applauds Resilience, Reform, & Recovery

By Miles Wolf Tamboli - The Talk Radio News Service

President Obama travelled to New Orleans, Sunday, to deliver an address to a city that, five years earlier, experienced the catastrophic effects of a category five hurricane, named Katrina, which changed the lives of millions along the Gulf Coast. 

In his address, the President focused on the progress the city has made since the disaster, and the inimitable resilience of the Coast’s residents.

“We’ve seen many return to their beloved city with a new-found sense of appreciation and obligation to this community,” said the President.

Obama detailed the recent achievements and successes of New Orleans’ housing system, justice system, and the recent re-opening of Charity Hospital, and specifically mentioned the hard work of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for striving to build the city’s infrastructure to a level higher than it had been before the disaster.

The President also enlightened residents on a decision the administration adopted on Friday to direct $1.8 billion to Orleans parish schools so that they may continue to become, “a model of innovation for the nation.”

“You’re not just rebuilding,” said the President; “you’re rebuilding stronger than before.”

The administration promises to have rebuilt the levees by next year, and pledges to improve emergency planning and response so that, “never again in America is somebody left behind in a disaster because they are living with a disability, or because they’re elderly, or because they’re infirm,” assured the President.

President Obama also remarked on his continued commitment to holding BP accountable for the oil spill that has made recovery from the prior disaster that much more difficult.

Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast on April 29th, 2005, taking the lives of nearly 2,000 and leaving over $81 billion in damage in its wake.

More Than 5,000 Square Miles Of Gulf Waters Reopened

By Miles Wolf Tamboli - Talk Radio News Service

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association announced Tuesday that 5,144 square miles of ocean in the Gulf of Mexico are now safe for fishing, according to the NOAA with collaboration from the FDA and Gulf states. 

The NOAA and US Coast Guard report that they have seen no significant oil in the area since July 3rd, and have deemed the zone safe from any future exposures to oil.  According to an NOAA press release Tuesday, “fish caught in the area and tested by NOAA experts have shown no signs of contamination.”

“Consumer safety is NOAA’s primary concern, which is why we developed rigorous safety standards in conjunction with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure that seafood is safe in the reopened area,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco; “we are confident that Gulf fish from this area is safe to eat and pleased that recreational and commercial fisherman can fish these waters again.” 

The organization reiterated consumer safety as its highest priority, but emphasized that the decision was influenced by the importance of fishing to the livelihoods of many living on the Gulf Coast. 

52,395 square miles are still off limits to commercial and recreational fishing, constituting nearly a quarter of the Gulf’s federal waters - and area roughly the size of the state of Louisiana.

Thad Allen Expresses Concerns Over Relief Well

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

A temporary cap may now be in place, but National Incident Commander, Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Friday that debris at the bottom of a relief well could delay the planned ‘static kill’ to shut off the Deepwater Horizon well once and for all.

Allen reiterated his and BP’s cleanup crews determination to “see this thing through to the finish,” and that he would work with local authorities to determine the standards that crews will work under when cleaning up beaches affected by the Gulf oil spill.

However, the debris, which found its way into the bottom of the relief well due to storms, has Allen cautious.  “The greatest concern to us right now is the relief well,” he said. Only once the debris is cleared, “that’s when we can truly end this threat to the environment in the Gulf.”

The debris could push back the date officials want to conduct the static kill to Monday or Tuesday, said Allen.

Obama Applauds New Cap's Success, Says We're Not In The Clear Yet

After recent success in temporarily capping the spewing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama told reporters Friday that there is an enormous amount of work that still needs to be done. 

The president said the success of new cap is “good news” but, when looking at the bigger picture, all roads end after the two relief wells being drilled are completed and the Macondo well is killed. According to President Obama, the drilling of the two relief wells is ahead of schedule, but said connecting the relief wells to the Macondo well is the most crucial step in finally stopping the flow of oil.

The “well integrity” test that, for the first time in nearly three months, stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf has seen great success so far. If the new cap fails to completely shut down the well, the president said it will be effective in containing nearly 80,000 barrels of oil per day, a monumental increase compared to the 25,000 the previous cap was averaging. 

President Obama urged members of the media and the American people to recognize that this does not mean that our fight against the well is over.

“We won’t be done until we actually know that we’ve killed the well and we have a permanent solution in place,” Obama said. “We’re moving in that direction, but I don’t want us to get too far ahead of ourselves.”