Environment

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – National Incident Commander Thad Allen says he is still ordering mud and cement be pumped into the bottom of the well, as it has from the top. But he says extensive testing and analysis are still needed to make sure the bottom kill doesn't blast open the material that's keeping oil inside the reservoir.

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says about three-quarters of the oil that spilled has dissolved, evaporated or been eaten by microbes that feed on crude. The universities of Georgia and South Florida are estimating much more oil remains in the Gulf. NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco says the government will consider the findings.

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – National Incident Commander Thad Allen says engineers are still reviewing ways to ready the broken well for a bottom kill, which involves pumping heavy mud and cement through the bottom. Officials had been aiming for starting the bottom kill by this time.

"I've always said this will be conditions-based. We're concerned about the vital signs of this well. We continue to be concerned about the vital signs. Our first goal is to do no harm."

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – National Incident Commander Thad Allen says that before mud and cement are pumped into the broken well from the bottom, he wants assurance that the cap and blow-out preventer on top can handle the pressure.

"There's nobody that wants to have this happen quicker than I do. But there's nobody that wants to incur more risk to this operation, because when we finish this thing we need to have a stake in the heart of this well."

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Ewell Smith is hard at work as executive director of the Louisiana Seafood and Promotion Marketing Board. He says shrimpers are facing a tough sell.

"The brand of Louisiana seafood has been beaten up pretty badly by this oil spill. And we're going to need some help, we're going to need some serious help in terms of dollars from BP to rebuild the brand of Louisiana seafood. It took Exxon -- after the Exxon Valdez, it took Alaska five years to rebuild their brand."

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – National Incident Commander Thad Allen is ordering more testing and options on handling problems that may develop when mud and cement are pumped into the broken well from the bottom. One option may be replacing the blow-out preventer now on top of the well that was plugged with mud and cement last week

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – National Incident Commander Thad Allen says he's ordering BP to come up with a plan if pumping during the bottom kill cranks up pressure on the capping system holding back the oil from the top.

"We're still dealing with part of the well that we can't see, and only know from pressure readings and external indications what the condition is and we will not know until we actually intercept the well."

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – National Incident Commander Thad Allen says there's a chance that cement pumped down the well could have come back up the outer casing.

"We may be the victims of our own success here, in that once they looked at the results of the cementing from the static kill from the top, they raised the question of whether or not the cement that entered the reservoir might have actually gone back up the annulus and sealed that."