BP Finishes Relief Well

Nearly five months to the day since the Gulf oil well exploded, the ordeal seems nearly over thanks to a permanent solution. Admiral Thad Allen announced late Thursday that BP had finished drilling a relief well, which intersects with the Macondo well some 18,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf. It means that BP can now use it to perform a “bottom kill,” pumping heavy mud and cement into the original well, sealing it for good Sunday. No oil has flowed into the Gulf since a cement plug was fitted on top of it on July 15.