OIL SPILL

Gulf Oil Spill: Well Stays Capped for Second Day

Officials are quietly optimistic.

Although pressure is building inside the cap on the Gulf of Mexico oil well, the new part has stayed in place for two days and no oil appears to be flowing. Hope is growing that BP has found a long-term solution to the gushing leak, but the company has been quick to remind people that for the time being, it is just a test, due to run for another 48 hours or so. “I am very pleased that there’s no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico but we just started the test and I don’t want to create a false sense of excitement,” said Kent Wells, a senior vice president for BP. Thad W. Allen, the retired Coast Guard admiral who is coordinating the spill response, explained that they had not yet reached a permanent solution, but that now recovery teams could safely leave the site for several days in case of a hurricane.