BP Resumes Drilling Relief Well

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The relief well runs a few feet parallel to the broken line that was plugged from the top with mud and cement. National Incident Commander Thad Allen ordered the company to repeat the process from the bottom before the well is considered permanently sealed. Drilling the last section is expected to take about four days. Crude oil that gushed into the Gulf was capped in July. Mud and cement was pumped down about a mile into the well from surface ships. A new blowout preventer was installed and fortified to make sure it could contain pressure that may build when cement is pumped in from the bottom.
For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans.