For all those seriously concerned with regards to the millions of litres of oil spewing into the Gulf Coast and beyond since April 20th, there is finally good news: the valve has been capped! At present, there is no oil exiting the valve -- an issue which has taken nearly three months to resolve.

President Obama has confirmed this news in stating that BP has taken steps to temporarily plug the valve, yet a permanent solution has not yet come to light. Scientists are monitoring the cap every six hours for the next 48 hours to ensure there in no oil seeping from the cap.  They are also still working hard to establish a permanent solution to stop oil from spilling out of this deep sea valve.  Obama has been adamant about seeking a long-term solution so as not to procure further ecological issues down the road.

The permanent solution spoken of appears to be a relief well. I must beg the question though: Shouldn’t a relief well be absolutely necessary when even the notion of drilling into the deep sea is uttered?  It seems as though BP evaded protocol on numerous accounts, resulting in the worst oil spill ever. Fantastic.

Obama further stated that if the cap cannot completely shut off the flow of oil, the flow will have been reduced enough to attach “many more containment mechanisms” wherein oil may be channeled into ships instead of the ocean. Let’s all pray it won’t have to come to that, since that would likely take another three months to figure out as well.
Nonetheless, in weaving through my pessimistic remarks, this system is finally a step in the right direction. For anyone interested in helping out with the enormous task of cleaning up the oil spill along the coast, it is worthwhile looking into a volunteer program established in a few states.

Wait, so why wouldn’t super glue have worked again?

Image courtesy of Creative Commons.

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