Despite ongoing predictions of doom and gloom for local ecosystems, BP has finally managed to put a short term halt to the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico - a momentous and potentially very important moment in the ongoing oil spill clean up crisis.
BP Oil Spill Finally On Hold
BP's temporary cap is the first pause in the oil spill which has been pumping 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20, 2010 - a major environmental disaster that has decimated wildlife populations in the area and will eventually affect ecosystems as far away as the African and European coasts due to ocean currents.
The oil spill response has been front page news since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion on April 20, 2010, and it continues to make headlines despite very little progress in cleaning up the disaster.
As of 14:25 local time on July 15, the BBC's oil spill news reports that BP has temporarily stopped the flow of petroleum oil into the sea and will be performing 48 hours of tests as engineers determine the full extent of the leak, the efficacy of the new cap and what other steps may be necessary to stop the leak for good.
Will the Oil Spill Cap Last?
Although the cap is an exciting and promising start to better news for the Gulf area, it's hard to know whether or not this plug will hold. As BP engineers take pressure readings and examine the leak over the next two days, there is a risk that the cap on the wellhead might not withstand the pressure it is subjected to or that, if it does, it might cause another leak on the sea floor.
What's Next for the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Clean Up?
In the long run, the new cap is a relatively small piece of good news in what promises to be an ongoing uphill battle in the oil spill response and recovery efforts. If the next 48 hours of tests are positive, the wellhead will still need a permanent relief well to ensure that the spill has been stopped. And if tests indicate a secondary leak further down, it will spell the beginning of a whole new set of complications for BP.
In the past three months since it began, the toxic oil spill has grown so large that it can clearly be seen from space by NASA satellites. The long term impact of this intense level of pollution on the birds, fish, turtles, dolphins and other wildlife in the area (and beyond) remains a frightening prospect. The environmental effects may be seen for many years to come.
Sources
BBC News, "BP says oil has stopped leaking from Gulf well," BBC.co.uk, 15 July 2010.
Francis, Eric, "Tales from Topographic Oceans," Planetwaves.net, 7 May 2010.
Victoria Anisman-Reiner - Victoria Anisman-Reiner is a freelance writer with extensive experience in holistic health care and animal training.
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