BP Preps to Launch ‘Static Kill’

Could the BP oil well soon be sealed—forever? Engineers are optimistic as they prepare to launch the “static kill” method, in which they’ll fire heavy mud into the well, pushing (or “bullheading”) oil back to its source, two-and-a-half miles under the seafloor. The capped well still poses threats; this next approach may prove a permanent solution. The “static kill” is part of a two-part strategy, in which mud and cement would attack the well, then engineers will begin the more grueling “bottom kill” method, in which the materials are pumped in through a relief well that workers have been drilling for months. Despite BP’s faith, retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says, "We should not be writing any obituary for this event.”