WASHINGTON (October 18, 2012) -- Today, the Coast Guard reported that BP’s subsea evaluation of the Macondo well showed that an oil sheen that has been linked to the BP spill is likely the result of oil being released from a failed device used by BP in an attempt to contain the well in 2010. Reports indicate that oil is not leaking from the well itself but rather from a giant dome -- the so-called cofferdam -- the large device that BP had left on the sea floor following its failed attempt to use the device to contain the Macondo well.
Below is the statement of Rep. Edward J. Markey, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, who last week called for release of all footage from the assessment of the sheen:
“BP should immediately release all video footage shot by remote operated vehicle of the Macondo well, the drill pipe and all other debris on the sea floor so that the American people and the scientific community can see for themselves that no oil is leaking from the well itself. In addition, BP should seek to recover all oil trapped inside the failed containment dome or any other debris that remains on the sea floor in order to prevent even more oil from spilling into the environment.”
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