Two Oil Firms Tie Gulf Rig Blast to 'Plug'

[Chris_]

At hearings Tuesday, Halliburton is expected to describe a failure to place a cement plug within the well before withdrawal of drilling "mud" that kept gas from escaping.

Executives from BP PLC, Transocean Ltd. and Halliburton Co. began pointing fingers on Monday over who bears ultimate responsibility for the April 20 oil-rig explosion that took 11 lives and is spilling oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The question will loom large at a Senate hearing Tuesday that will hear from executives of the three companies.

BP, the well owner, blames the failure of a big set of valves on the sea floor, known as the blowout preventer, to halt the blowout once it started.

A different account comes from Halliburton, a contractor in the drilling. This account is corroborated to some extent by Transocean, as well as by two workers on the drilling rig, The Wall Street Journal has determined.

This account describes a failure to place a cement plug within the well. The plug is designed to prevent gas from escaping up the pipe to the surface.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/11/oil-firms-tie-rig-blast-plug/

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Man, if this isn't Halliburton's fault DU will be devastated.

EDIT: From the same article:

According to this worker, BP asked permission from the federal Minerals Management Service to displace the mud before the final plugging operation had begun. The mud in the well weighed 14.3 pounds per gallon; it was displaced by seawater that weighed nearly 50% less. Like BP, the MMS declined to comment on this account.

So...BP wanted to short circuit what Halliburton was already preapred to do and the FEDERAL OVERSIGHT AGENCY gave them the permission to make that circumvention.

[DefiantSix]

Man, if this isn't Halliburton's fault DU will be devastated.

It won't be the first time; it sure as hell won't be the last time.

[cavegal]

Another Dog and Pony show for the left to take down capitalism. IMO!