After ‘Top Kill,’ Few Options to Cap Well - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com

After ‘Top Kill,’ Few Options to Cap Well - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com: "BP should never have been allowed to drill without having workable worst-case backup solutions at hand. In other countries a relief well is a required element, to be drilled at the same time as the well intended for production; a device for worst-case blowouts, costing an additional half-million is also SOP. That BP, for economic reasons did not do so, after claiming an environmental impact report was unnecessary as the probabilities of a spill was infinitely small amounts to criminality. The assets of BP should be seized, the top BP officers should be charged and imprisoned and held on bail for the full value of BP. And all other oil industry wells should immediately have to comply with existing laws, and the Congress should change the laws to implement worst-case solutions-at-hand or a well cannot be drilled."