As of this writing, the April 20, 2010, BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be contained and well sealed. After several failed attempts to cap the 5,000-foot deep well, BP installed a containment cap on July 14, halting the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon well for the first time since April 20, 2010. On August 4, BP began operation “static kill” to seal off the well, pumping several thousand barrels of mud through the containment cap into the well. BP officials have stated that BP intends to complete the relief well as the solution for permanently closing the well.

From April 20 through August 4, the BP well released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil. On August 4, the National Incident Command (NIC) released an interagency report, “BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Budget: What Happened To the Oil?” providing its estimate of the oil that has been released from the well and the fate of that oil. The report provides the following estimates....

This Article Authored by McAfee & Taft Attorney: Mary Ellen Ternes.