George Altman of the Mobile Press-Register writes that Gulf oil well to remain sealed, but only temporarily.

BP is going to leave the well shut off until tomorrow afternoon, then it will connect up the lines to the surface to suck up more oil until those nasty bureaucrats make them seal the well permanently, which is unfair as there will still be profitable amounts of oil left in the ground. [/sarcasm]

BP intends to make as much money as possible from this well because the actual crude is the high priced light, sweet variety that is cheap to refine. After the austerity moves by the various G-20 nations put the global economy back in the tank, the oil won’t be worth much, so they want to sell it as soon as possible.

… Too quiet…

On July 15^th at 2:25PM CDT BP announced that oil had stopped flowing from the Well from Hell. The video seems to show that, if the video feed is in fact the well.

Oil started flowing into the Gulf when the Deepwater Horizon exploded at 9:53PM CDT on April 20^th.

That’s 85 days, 16 hours, and 32 minutes of oil flow. At the USGS’s minimum estimate of 35,000 barrels/day, that’s 125,962,667 gallons of crude oil. Some oil has been collected, the amount is only available to BP and their word has proven to be less than trustworthy throughout this ordeal.

No one thinks this is over. As has become the norm with this well, it is not acting as people assumed it would. The pressure readings are lower than were predicted, which might indicate a leak, but they aren’t dropping, which would confirm a leak.

The only real solution for the leak is to fill the well shaft with concrete, which is the purpose of the relief well.

There is still around 100 million gallons of crude oil, 100 thousand 1.8 million gallons of dispersant, unknown quantities of methane, unknown quantities of dead sea life, and an unknown time frame for all this to be over, if it ever is.

At the heart of the tort in English common law is the concept of making the injured party “whole”, the idea of status quo ante, a return to the way things were before the injury. That will never happen. There will never be any justice for the Gulf or those who live around it.

Rodez – Revel

Distance: 196 kilometers.

Alexandre Vinokourov waited to the end of the stage and then took it in the last climb and short sprint. The top twenty are cruising in anticipation of the return to the mountains.

A couple of easy [4s] climbs followed by a sprint. Then a two more climbs [3 & 4] and another sprint. Finally a category 3 to the finish. A good stage for an all-arounder, and the last stage to make a move before the Pyrenees.

Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) [Yellow] 63h 08m 40s
Alessandro Petacchi ( Ita – LAM – 208 ) [Green] 187 points
Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot] 107 points
Robert Gesink ( Ned – RAB – 195 ) 7 [White]
Team: Radio Shack RSH ( 021-029 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Alexandre Vinokourov ( Kaz – AST – 009 )
Combative: Juan Antonio Flecha ( Esp – SKY – 034 ) [Red numbers]

They’ve gone 2,543.9 kilometers [1,580.7 miles] at an average speed of 40.3 kph [25.0 mph].

OVERALL STANDINGS:

Andy Schleck ( Lux – SAX – 011 ) [Yellow]
2 Alberto Contador ( Esp – AST – 001 )
3 Samuel Sanchez ( Esp – EUS – 181 )
4 Denis Menchov ( Rus – RAB – 191 )
5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck ( Bel – OLO – 101 )
6 Levi Leipheimer ( USA – RSH – 025 )
7 Robert Gesink ( Ned – RAB – 195 ) [White]
8 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver ( Esp – KAT – 077 )
9 Luis-Leon Sanchez ( Esp – GCE – 161 )
10 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – LIQ – 044 )
11 Ivan Basso ( Ita – LIQ – 041 )
12 Alexandre Vinokourov ( Kaz – AST – 009 ) [Stage winner]
13 Ryder Hesjedal ( Can – GRM – 054 )
14 Nicolas Roche ( Irl – ALM – 081 )
15 Carlos Sastre ( Esp – CTT – 091 )
16 Bradley Wiggins ( GBr – SKY – 031 )
17 Michael Rogers ( Aus – THR – 118 )
18 Cadel Evans ( Aus – BMC – 121 )
19 Thomas Lövkvist ( Swe – SKY – 037 )
20 Andréas Klöden ( Ger – RSH – 024 )

36 Lance Armstrong ( USA – RSH – 021 )
51 Anthony Charteau ( Fra – BBO – 153 ) [Polka Dot]
55 Jérôme Pineau ( Fra – QST – 135 )
58 Geraint Thomas ( GBr – SKY – 039 )
74 Juan Antonio Flecha ( Esp – SKY – 034 ) [Red numbers]
128 Thor Hushovd ( Nor – CTT – 095 )
133 Alessandro Petacchi ( Ita – LAM – 208 ) [Green]
144 Mark Cavendish ( GBr – THR – 111 )
150 Julian Dean ( NZl – GRM – 052 )
153 David Millar ( GBr – GRM – 057 )
164 Robbie McEwen ( Aus – KAT – 075 )