The Los Angeles Times reported this morning that U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says the “top kill” effort to block the Gulf Coast oil spill has worked. It turns out that that may have been premature. In the meantime, we’re covering all the details, minute by minute.
2:38 p.m.: Still trying to plug that leaking oil well…
2:05 p.m.: BP says it’s making progress … but the “top kill” effort continues…
12:51 p.m.: The president’s news conference has started. Watch it here.
12:14 p.m.: President Obama and Allen will each talk to the press today to give updates on the oil leak. Obama’s press conference is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. Allen’s is set for 4:30 p.m. Watch Obama’s news conference live here.
12:06 p.m.: Earlier today, the AP reported that Elizabeth Birnbaum, head of the government agency that oversees offshore drilling, had been fired. Turns out that may not be quite right…
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told lawmakers today that Birnbaum had resigned “on her own terms and her own volition.”
11:36 a.m.: The “top kill” effort continues — but there are no new updates on its possible success, a BP sokesperson tells Reuters this morning.
“The top kill operation continues, there are no operational updates,” he said.
10:57 a.m.: More from Allen’s WWL radio interview this morning:
Allen said the “absence of bad news is good news,” but that we’re still in a “period of wait and see.”
“At this point, they’ve had some success overnight and they’re prepared to put more mud down the well bore if they need to,” he said. “So everybody is cautiously optimistic, but no reason to declare a victory yet, we need to watch it very, very close.”
10:40 a.m.: It’s unclear if or how the “top kill” affects this, but…
Scientists are now reporting that the Gulf Coast oil spill has been leaking at least twice as much oil — and possibly five times as much — as originally estimated.
10:23 a.m.: In other news, Elizabeth Birnbaum, head of the U.S. Minerals Management Service, the agency that oversees offshore drilling, has been fired, the AP reported moments ago.
10:17 a.m.: Here’s another image from the leak. Still seems to be flowing…
10:08 a.m.: Not so fast…
MSNBC just reported that a senior Homeland Security official told NBC News that Allen was “misunderstood.” The “top kill” effort continues — and it’s too early to tell if it’s been successful.
Allen will be clarifying his remarks soon, MSNBC reports.
10:06 a.m.: Not sure how the “top kill” works? Check out this helpful chart.
9:59 a.m.: Here’s an image taken moments ago of the leak. It does look like the leak has slowed dramatically…
9:54 a.m.: MSNBC’s Chuck Todd reports: Allen told reporters that no more oil is leaking from the underground hole — for now. The drilling mud effort was successful, Allen said. However, Todd reports, BP officials aren’t ready to declare victory yet. While they appreciate Allen’s “optimism,” they’re not sure it has “definitely worked,” Todd said.
9:44 a.m.: A local radio station reports that Allen told them that “they’ve stopped the hydrocarbons from coming up.”
“They’ve been able to stabilize the well head, they are pumping mud down it.”
Once it’s certain that the heavy drilling mud will hold back the oil and gas flow long enough to cap the well, Allen said they’ll try to inject cement into the top of the well.
“The goal is to put enough mud down the well bore to the point where there is no pressure exerted back by the hydrocarbons and then allow a cement plug to be put in place.”
9:37 a.m.: On the live video feed, the leak appears to still be flowing. That isn’t exactly unexpected — as long as the pressure from the well is still above zero, the leak will continue. Though it should be at a much reduced rate, if indeed the “top kill” effort has succeeded in blocking the leak.
9:30 a.m.: StreetInsider.com suggests reports that “top kill” is a success may be premature. Stay tuned.
9:27 a.m.: The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the “top kill” solution to stopping the disastrous oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has succeeded in blocking the leak.
The newspaper reported that Allen said this morning that engineers have pumped enough drilling fluid in to block all oil and gas gushing out of the well. Pressure from the well is reportedly very low — but still there.
Once engineers have reduced the well pressure to zero, they will begin to pump cement into the hole to entomb the well. To help that effort, he said, engineers are also pumping some debris into the blowout preventer at the top of the well.
“We’ll get this under control,” he said.
