U.S. Attorney Steve Overholt told District Judge Carl Barbier that testing of the failed blowout preventor (BOP) that led to the Deepwater Horizon oilrig explosion should be done by the end of this week.
Results of months-long testing of the BOP will be crucial in determining liability when it comes to the Deepwater Horizon oilrig explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
A full report on the results should be ready for plaintiff and defense attorneys around March 20th.
Testing on the cement used in the drilling of the oil well has not gone as well, Overholt said. The federal government struggled to find a contractor to conduct the testing until recently, and now attorneys are working with the Joint Investigative Team to finalize testing protocols.
Unlike the BOP, which required detailed forensic investigation over a period of months, the testing of the cement should be done within a few weeks.
Federal MDL 2:10-md-2179