New BP Plan: Fix the Failed 'Blowout Preventer'

So far, nothing BP has tried to do to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf has worked, but company and Obama administration officials tell the New York Times they're optimistic about their latest plan: fixing the underwater “blowout preventer” that was supposed to seal off the spill in the first place. BP has “increasing confidence that we can intervene directly in the BOP at acceptably low risk,” a spokesman said.

There's certainly no shortage of things to fix. According to a House Energy Committee investigation, the blowout preventer had a dead battery, leaks in its hydraulic system, a cutting tool too weak to cut the pipe, and a “useless” test version of a major part, the Washington Post reports. “The American people expect you to have a response comparable to the Apollo project,” said Rep. Ed Markey. “not Project Runway.” (More British Petroleum stories.)