Finally, a bit of optimistic news from the Gulf:
BP will place a tighter-fitting cap on its gushing Gulf of Mexico well that could start capturing all of the oil being released as soon as Monday evening, National Incident Commander Thad Allen said this morning.
BP will begin the process of removing the existing cap, which has been on the well for about a month, on Saturday.
Allen pointed out that containing the oil leak is not the same thing as stopping it. The leak won't be stopped until a relief well is completed, giving BP the ability to finally stop the flow of oil and gas. That work is unlikely to be finished before mid-August.
In order to put the new cap in place, the current cap will be removed. However, Allen also said that an additional system for containing the oil would be put in place at the same time that the cap is removed; that system could contain as many as 25,000 barrels per day during the changeover.
According to AP, with the new cap in place, the containment system should be able to capture between 60,000 and 80,000 barrels per day, more than the estimated 35,000 to 60,000 barrels that are currently leaking into the Gulf.