That oil-cap replacement plan BP set into motion over the weekend? Well, believe it or not, it looks like it may very well mark the end of the oil-spill nightmare. The company has successfully placed the new containment cap on the well, and — though tests are still needed to determine the effectiveness of the new cap, and BP has yet to make an official statement about the development — initial reports are tentatively optimistic, claiming the oil flow has been quelled.
“There does not appear to be oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico,” said a PBS NewsHour tweet early Monday evening. “Details of the new containment cap will be confirmed in the morning. The new containment cap has been placed & will be pressure tested.”
Meanwhile, in the continuing offshore-drilling back-and-forth, the U.S. Interior Department moved forward Monday with a new moratorium to block deepwater and oil and natural-gas projects. The measure will be in effect through November 30, 2010, or until deepwater drilling operations are considered safe again.
