"BP Oil Well Is Dead, Officials Say"

"BP's renegade Macondo well, which spewed 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in the world's largest accidental release of hydrocarbons, is finally dead.

Although the oil stopped flowing July 15 when the well was temporarily capped, officials continued drilling a relief well to permanently seal the damaged well. On Sunday morning, National Incident Commander Thad Allen announced that tests completed at 5:54 am confirmed that cement injected into the well on Friday and Saturday had cured and permanently shut down the well.

'After months of extensive operations planning and execution under the direction and authority of the U.S. government science and engineering teams, BP has successfully completed the relief well by intersecting and cementing the well nearly 18,000 feet below the surface. With this development, which has been confirmed by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, we can finally announce that the Macondo 252 well is effectively dead,' Allen said in a statement."

Rebecca Mowbray reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune September 19, 2010.

SEE ALSO:

"Final Oil Well Sealing Is Small Comfort To Suffering, Anxious Gulf Residents" (AP)

"President Barack Obama: We'll Help 'the People of the Gulf To Rebuild Their Livelihoods'" (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

"Reservoir in Gulf May Still Be Used" (New York Times)

"BP Well Sealed, But Gusher of Uncertainty Remains" (Los Angeles Times)

"Well Is Sealed; Tale Isn't Over" (Wall St. Journal)

"Well Dead, But Gulf Challenges Live On" (AP)