BP Removes Cap, Oil Gushes Freely

Let’s hope this works out according to plan. A containment cap atop BP’s damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico was removed on Saturday as the first step in an effort that the oil company hopes could fully contain the massive oil leak by the middle of this week. Here’s the big controversy, though: By doing so, BP will make matters worse—at least for the time being—as the removal of the current cap will allow oil to spew unabated into the Gulf until a newer one is installed. If successful, a tighter-fitting cap will be installed in a few days, and is expected to divert nearly all of the leaking crude. Kent Wells, a BP senior vice president, expressed confidence that this approach—one of several implemented in recent weeks—will be a success. “Our intent is to have the ability to contain all the flow,” Wells said at a briefing in Houston. The ultimate goal: to eventually collect all the oil from the well—up to an estimated 60,000 barrels per day—and divert it to collection ships.