The Coast Guard is leading an undersea effort to check the site of BP’s blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. The well was sealed three months after the explosion in 2010, but a new oil slick has surfaced.
Federal scientists and BP officials say oil that appeared last month originated from BP’s Macondo well. The company says it had traces of drilling mud, which is an indication that the oil came from the wreckage of the sunken drilling equipment.
The Coast Guard informed BP and rig owner Transocean that either company or both are responsible for investigating the source and cleaning it up. Underwater robots are being sent a mile below the surface to check the well and the debris that remains on the floor of the Gulf.
Tests are planned for early this week.
