AP: "After days of progress, BP freezes work in Gulf"

[KansasVoter]

Some over at "The Oil Drum" web site think that the initial pressure test scared the hell out of BP for some reason. Like the piping below the BOP is blown to hell. They stopped the pressure test and the relief well drilling also. I am not a conspiracy nut, but very weird to me.

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NEW ORLEANS – BP froze activity on two key projects Wednesday meant to choke off the flow of oil billowing from its broken well in the Gulf of Mexico after days of moving confidently toward controlling the crisis.
The development was a stunning setback after the oil giant finally seemed to be on track following nearly three months of failed attempts to stop the spill, which has sullied beaches from Florida to Texas and decimated the multibillion dollar fishing industry.
The oil giant and the government said more analysis was needed before testing could proceed on a new temporary well cap — the best hope since April of stopping the geyser. Work on a permanent fix, relief wells that will plug the spill from below with mud and cement, also was halted.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100714/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill

[Poll_Blind]

1. There are a couple of weird things:

* Stopping drilling the relief wells: There is speculation that the reason for this is that the pressure could be so high when they conduct the pressure test that it could possibly fracture the rock where the drill strings for one or both relief wells are. Which would be a lot of pressure and a lot of fractured rock but right now there isn't much of a competing explanation as to why.

* Halting/delaying the pressure test itself: Speculation tends to run in two possible veins A) There is a leak with the collar that was installed, a leak has developed under the BOP or they believe the BOP may not be able to withstand the pressure of the test or B) There is something with the pressure itself which scares the hell out of them and this data has either been collected from the oil coming out of the collar or through the mapping of the area- as in, bulging of the sea floor or something similar.

From some of the threads I read at TOD (and these were just a very few), they're really wanting to know what those pressure numbers are and why they haven't been shared (even if preliminary numbers) with the public yet.

Basically a lot of posters I've seen at TOD think something spooked both the US Govt/BP/etc. but they don't know what. Alternatively, the freeze could merely be the result of a dispute about exactly what to do next.

PB

[KansasVoter]

2. A lot different than the BP crap we have heard the last week about this being the "solution"!

[hatrack]

5. That was last week's "solution"

But don't worry - I'm sure next week we'll hear more about the new "solution".

[MountainLaurel]

8. Feds were worried about the pressure

And whether it could make the leak worse:

BP's work on capping the Gulf of Mexico oil well was frozen Wednesday after the federal government raised concerns the operation could put damaging pressure on the busted well that could make the leak worse.

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/07/bp_cap_in_limbo_over_federal_g.html

[IcyPeas]

3. I was listening to Gary Null last night.....

and he was reading from something (I didn't catch the beginning so I don't know what it was). But he said (or the article said) that there is a cavern under the area that is as big as Mt. Everest!!!!! That is unfathomable especially if filled with some gas.

Don't tell me the worst is yet to come.

[mkultra]

4. how could they possibly know that?

[IcyPeas]

6. Here is more information on Mt. Everest sized cavern:

MKultra, I don't know if this is a conspiracy or not, but :-)

satellite images.....

http://www.americanpendulum.com/2010/06/gulf-oil-cover-up-underneath-gaping-chasm-of-gulf-floor-is-a-mt-everest-sized-cavern/

[mkultra]

9. something strange is a foot.

"Other satellite imagery reportedly being withheld by the Obama administration, shows that what lies under the gaping chasm spewing oil at an ever-alarming rate is a cavern estimated to be the size of Mount Everest."

I don't believe that technology exists.

[Rex]

7. They might be talking about the

Hugoton Panhandle gas reserve, something no one wants to talk about...like 9/11 and I've noticed most talk relegated to conspiracy theories, but the reserve is there and real and full of natural gas. Does that mean it is possible BP will destroy North America? Well they tried almost 100 years ago...the British plan extended-longterm warfare time tables! Who knew it would just take one of their corporations and not their entire Navy! Crimson tide!