BP cap stays on; feds call new leaks insignificant

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Oil from BP’s blown-out well again is seeping into the Gulf of Mexico, but this time more slowly, and scientists aren’t convinced the cap that stopped the flow last week is making things worse.

The government said Monday that oil was seeping into the Gulf after warning for days that the experimental cap on the oil well could cause more leaks.

Despite what at first seemed a setback, the federal government declared the development insignificant and forged ahead with BP’s plan for finally sealing the hole in the ocean floor.

Ever since the cap was used to bottle up the oil last week, engineers have been watching underwater cameras and monitoring pressure and seismic readings to see whether the well would hold or spring a new leak, perhaps one that could rupture the sea floor and make the disaster even worse.

Small amounts of oil and gas started coming from the cap late Sunday, but “we do not believe it is consequential at this time,” retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said.

Also, seepage from the sea floor was detected over the weekend less than two miles away, but Adm. Allen said it probably has nothing to do with the well. Oil and gas are known to ooze naturally from fissures in the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

At a Monday afternoon briefing in Washington, Adm. Allen said BP could keep the cap closed at least another 24 hours, as long as the company remained alert for leaks.

Since the cap was closed Thursday, beachgoers have reported less oil fouling the shore.

Bob Broadway, 41, of Huntsville, Ala., said his vacation spot in Orange Beach, Ala., has improved from a month ago.

Then, he said, the oil was thick “like chocolate” and the beach smelled like “an old mechanic’s garage.”

“The beach looks better now than before,” he said Monday.

BP and the government were at odds over the company’s desire simply to leave the cap in place and employ it like a giant cork in a bottle until a relief well being drilled deep underground can be used to plug up the well permanently.

Allen initially said his preference was to pipe oil through the cap to tankers on the surface to reduce the slight chance that the buildup of pressure inside the well would cause a new blowout. That plan would require releasing millions more gallons of oil into the ocean for a few days during the transition — a spectacle BP apparently wants to avoid.

On Monday, Allen budged a bit, saying unless larger problems develop, he’s not inclined to open the cap.

Also on the table: Pumping drilling mud through the top of the cap and into the well bore to stop up the oil flow. The idea is similar to the failed top kill plan that couldn’t overcome the pressure of the geyser pushing up.

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