BP Drilling Through Final 50 Feet Of Relief Well

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Bad weather interrupted drilling last month. BP and government engineers since then have been revising plans on how best to kill the well. National Incident Commander Thad Allen has insisted that mud and cement be pumped into the bottom of the well, as it was from the top. Revised plans also called for installing a new blowout preventer with extra equipment to handle any increase in pressure. Once the drill breaks into the well for the bottom kill later this week, more mud and cement will be forced into the system for a permanent seal. That process could take a few more days.
For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans.