Blowout Preventer Removal Suspended Due To Weather

National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen told reporters in a conference call Monday that weather concerns in the Gulf of Mexico are forcing the joint command to suspend operations to remove the stacking cap and blowout preventer from the failed Deepwater Horizon Macondo well.

“We’re only good at to three to five days.  So I am predicting three days at this point.  As I have been (want) to do in the past, I don’t use any hard schedules that should be laid out at this time.  We should have been ready to go right after Labor Day.  But obviously this will move that,” said Allen.

The administration’s point man on the BP-Deepwater Horizon spill response told the media that the weather is not related to tropical depressions in the Atlantic, but local storms in the Gulf.

Retrieval of the blowout preventer remains a crucial part of the federal investigation into what caused the spill.

Allen Directs BP To Remove Capping Stack, BOP From Macondo Well

From the Deepwater Horizon Response Joint Command:

“WASHINGTON - National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen today authorized BP to terminate the fishing procedure and begin the removal of the capping stack followed by the BOP, including the specific conditions required for the removals to take place.”

Officials contend that removal of the Macondo well’s failed blowout preventer will assist in the administration’s investigation into the cause of the oil spill that leaked an estimated 4.9 millions barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico from April 20th until the capping stack sealed the leak in mid-July.

The directive issued by Retired Coast Guard Admiral Allen requires that BP cooperate with the Joint Investigation Team and the Department of Justice Criminal Investigation Evidence Recovery Team throughout the removal process.

Oil Spill Response To Become More Locally Supervised

According to federal on-scene coordinator Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft, federal officials will be meeting with Gulf Coast officials, including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R), Friday to discuss their long term transition plan from acute spill response to Gulf restoration. In working to define “when clean is clean,” Zukunft emphasized that; “we are not there yet. But the important thing is, we are at the table at the local level where it matters, and we’re working with and through each of the parish officials.”

BP Receives Another Bill From Feds

According to the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint information Center, the administration sent a fifth bill to petroleum mogul BP Wednesday to reimburse the government for response costs tied to the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

This latest bill - totaling almost $168 million - nearly matches the $222 million already demanded in the first four bills, all of which BP has paid in full. 

As the responsible party, BP will continue to receive invoices from the administration for all costs associated with the response to the months-old oil leaked that has wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast’s fishing, tourism, and oil industries.

White House Officials Meet With BP Execs

The White House released the following statement regarding a meeting that took place earlier today between senior Obama administration officials and executives from BP:

“Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner, White House Counsel Robert Bauer, and National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen, joined by other senior administration officials, met with BP executives Bob Dudley and Lamar McKay this afternoon to discuss a range of issues regarding the ongoing clean up and recovery efforts in the Gulf. They impressed upon BP the importance of living up to their commitment to long term recovery, and underscored that the Administration will remain vigilant in ensuring that promise is met. Among a variety of other issues, the administration officials also stressed the need for BP to move quickly to pay state and local government claims, and reiterated President Obama’s commitment to work with the people of the Gulf to hold BP accountable, and to address economic, health and environmental needs, and restore the beauty and bounty of the region.”