Gulf of Mexico oil leak 'worst US environment disaster'
Found on BBC News on Saturday, 29 May 2010
Ms Browner, talking on NBC's Meet The Press, said: "More oil is leaking in the Gulf of Mexico than at any other time in our history. It means there is more oil than the Exxon Valdez (in Alaska in 1989)."
She said she hoped the latest plan would work but admitted it would be a temporary measure and that a relief well currently being drilled might turn out to be the permanent solution.
Mr Suttles earlier admitted its "top kill" operation to blast waste material and heavy mud into the ruptured well had failed.
Now I'm not an experienced engineer in the fields of underwater drilling for oil, but the idea of pumping mud into a broken pipe didn't sound that clever from the beginning. Especially since this has failed before. For those interested, do a little search about the Ixtoc spill. Back then, it took almost 10 months to seal a well after, you've guessed it, the blowout preventer failed. The oil company made different attempts that didn't really work, such as, you've guessed it again, pumping in mud and drilling relief wells.