Gulf oil spill: Obama calls capping ‘a positive sign’
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President Obama had little to say Thursday about the halt of the flow of oil from BP’s blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico.
After delivering a statement about a financial reform bill passed by Congress, Obama began to step away from a lectern outside the White House when a reporter asked him about the developments in the Gulf.
“It is a positive sign,” Obama said. “We’re still in the testing phase. I’ll have more to say about it tomorrow.”
Reaction from BP and residents and officials in the Gulf region was hopeful yet cautious.
“I am very pleased that there’s no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico,” BP Vice President Kent Wells said at a media briefing. “In fact, I’m really excited there’s no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico.”
BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said engineers are proceeding with an abundance of caution and that no one should “jump to the conclusion that the flow won’t resume.” He called the developments an “encouraging sign, and in a couple of days it could be more encouraging.”
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal issued a statement: “We remain cautiously optimistic about the recent positive developments on the BP oil well in the Gulf. Of course, it is too early to declare victory and there is still a lot more work that needs to be done. The next 48 hours will be critical as they test the pressure of the well and ensure the cap is working properly.”
Robin Falcon, 44, owner of Coffee Zone in Houma, La., said she received a text message from houmatoday.com minutes after the oil stopped leaking. “It’s about time,” she said while restocking straws in her cafe. “I think everything’s going to be all right. ... It will take time. Hopefully our seafood industry won’t take too long to rebuild.”
Stopping the leak from the well, while momentous after more than 85 days of unchecked flow, remained a temporary milestone Thursday. BP planned to monitor pressure in the well to gauge whether the oil is staying inside the bore or potentially leaking into adjacent rock and sand. If pressure is low, or drops, that may indicate a leak, and engineers may open valves and allow oil to flow out of the containment cap, collecting some of it through pipes that lead to the surface.
BP has said it can ramp up its collection capacity to levels beyond the estimated flow from the well, which could be as high as 60,000 barrels daily.
-- Geoff Mohan