"BP Used Riskier Method to Seal Oil Well Before Blast"

"Several days before the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, BP officials chose, partly for financial reasons, to use a type of casing for the well that the company knew was the riskier of two options, according to a BP document.

The concern with the method BP chose, the document said, was that if the cement around the casing pipe did not seal properly, gases could leak all the way to the wellhead, where only a single seal would serve as a barrier.

Using a different type of casing would have provided two barriers, according to the document, which was provided to The New York Times by a Congressional investigator."

Ian Urbina reports for the New York Times May 26, 2010.

See Also:

"NOAA Chief: BP Delayed Video Feed Necessary to Determine Extent of Gulf Leak" (Greenwire)

"Workers Describe Failures on Oil Rig Before Explosion in Gulf of Mexico" (AP)

"AP Exclusive: Workers Describe Failures On Oil Rig" (AP)

"BP Gulf of Mexico Operations Drew $555,000 in Fines From 2001 Through 2007" (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

"BP Deepwater Horizon Operations Were Six Weeks Behind Schedule, Documents Say" (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

"Interior Chief Vows Crackdown on MMS's 'Bad Apples'" (Greenwire)

"Oil Rig Mechanic: Managers Argued Before Blast" (NPR)