A cement plug finally has permanently sealed BP’s leaking well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico. The end came five months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to ...

One year after a deadly oil-rig explosion set off the worst offshore spill in U.S. history, the environmental minefield of abandoned wells in the Gulf of Mexico is worse than first thought, with no ...

Engineers say the metal and cement lining inside abandoned wells, as well as the plugs, can break down over time and allow leaking. Petroleum or corrosive brine, which is even saltier than sea water, ...