The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wednesday, September 14, 2011- 7A

New findings suggest BP
made more mistakes in spill

Previously to adequately seal a well. Federal
regulations require the top of the
unreported cement to be 500 feet above the
shallowest zone holding hydro-
flammable gas carbons, meaning BP's cement job
'a critical factor' was potentially well below where
it should have been.
Cement contractor Hallibur-
(AP) - A BP scientist identi- tonrecentlyfiled alawsuitagainst
fied a previously unreported BP asserting that Skripnikova's
deposit of flammable gas that statements prove the oil giant
could have played a role in the knew about the shallower gas
Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but the before the explosion and should
oil giant failed to divulge the have sought a new cement and
finding to government inves- well design. BP has denied the
tigators for as long as a year, allegations.
according to interviews and Skripnikova's job involved ana-
documents obtained by The lyzing data from BP's Macondo
Associated Press. well to determine the depth and
While engineering experts characteristics of oil and gas
differ on the extent to which the deposits, which in turn is used in
two-foot-wide swath of gas-bear- a process called temporary aban-
ing sands helped cause the disas- donment, when wells are sealed
ter, the finding raises the specter so they can be used for produc-
of further legal and financial tion later.
troubles for BP. It also could raise Based on the initial informa-
the stakes in the multibillion-dol- tion, regulators approved BP's
lar court battle between the com- well sealing plan, which called for
panies involved. placing the top of the cement at
A key federal report into what roughly 17,300 feet below the sur-
caused the worst offshore oil spill face of the water. The cement was
in U.S. history is set to be released pumped April 19, the day before
as early as today. the explosion. But Skripnikova
"This is a critical factor, where said that after she flew back from
the hydrocarbons are found," the rig she and others re-exam-
said Rice University engineering ined the analysis, and on the day
professor Satish Nagarajaiah. "I of the explosion she identified the
think further studies are needed shallower gas zone. That would
to determine where this exactly have meant the cement should
was and what response was initi- have been placed at just under
ated by BP if they knew this fact." 17,000 feet below the surface of
At issue: BP petrophysicist the water.
Galina Skripnikova in a closed- She said she did not relay that
door deposition two months information to drilling engineers
ago told attorneys involved in on the Deepwater Horizon and
the oil spill litigation that there warn them to hold off proceed-
appeared to be a zone of gas more ing with the abandonment. She
than 300 feet above where BP suggested in her deposition that
told its contractors and regulators she thought the information
with the then-Minerals Manage- would be passed up the chain.
ment Service the shallowest zone BP was already $60 million over
was located. budget and stopping operations
The depth of the oil and gas is at that point and coming up with
a critical parameter in drilling a new cement design would have
because it determines how much meant millions of extra dollars in
cement a company needs to pump costs.

Later in the deposition,
Skripnikova backtracked and
said the new analysis was not dis-
cussed among her team until the
day after the explosion.
"Do you believe that BP com-
plied with MMS regulations with
its selection of where the top of
cement should go in the cement
job that was done on April 19," an
attorney asked Skripnikova.
"I don't know," she responded.
Before her deposition, none
of Skripnikova's findings appear
to have been passed on to fed-
eral regulators or the numerous
government investigations since
the disaster. Skripnikova was
never questioned at public hear-
ings before the presidentially-
appointed oil spill commission.
Nor was she questioned before
the joint investigative panel of
the U.S. Coast Guard and the
agency that regulates offshore
drilling, which is readying its
final report. Her name and the
information she has is not in BP's
internal investigation report
released last September.
BP spokesman Scott Dean
insisted in a statement Tuesday
to AP that when assessing top-of-
cement requirements before the
accident, BP did not identify the
zone in question as bearing oil or
gas. Dean said "BP has provided
material concerning this zone to
the parties in the multidistrict lit-
igation and to government inves-
tigators."
BP provided a letter late last
night it said it sent the oil spill
commission on Oct. 30, 2010, six
months after the explosion. The
letter said BP would be sending
the commission draft reports
the company prepared and more
detailed studies to help inform
its efforts to stop the flow of oil to
the sea. The letter does not detail
what the reports said, what
data was provided, or whether
the data was the same as what
Skripnikova discussed in her
deposition.

SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT/AP
In this surveillance video taken on Sept. 5, a suspect dressed like Gumby attempts to rob a convenience store. The
impersonator and an accomplice were turned away by the clerk, who believed it to be a joke.
Gumby impersonator
surrenders in robbery
Failed robbery man accused of trying to rob Kiss brought the Gumby suit
a convenience store last week and turned it in as well.
suspects turn in dressed as the famous clayma- Police say a man dressed in a
tion character turned himself Gumby costume and an accom-
costume upon in yesterday, with an alleged plice went into a 7-Eleven in
accomplice. Rancho Penasquitos on Labor
SUrrendering . Detective Gary Hassen tells Day and told the clerk it was a
the San Diego Union-Tribune robbery.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Gumby that Jacob Kiss and Jason The clerk thought it was a
has surrendered. Giramma voluntarily went to prank and dismissed him. Both
San Diego police say the police headquarters. He says then left the store.


Join us for Get Ready for the Law
Friday, September 16, 2011,10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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U N I V E R S I T Y
COLLEGE OF LAW


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