BP Testing of Stopgap Spill Cap Delayed

BP is pushing back its plan to test a cap that could contain the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico until the company completes a permanent solution next month. The company was predicting Tuesday that it would that day start testing a tighter cap on the Macondo well that has unleashed as much as 60,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf daily, according to estimates by the U.S. government. But National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen later said the project "may benefit from additional analysis" before testing occurs.

BP has not announced when it will start testing the cap. The testing process takes from six to 48 hours.

The cap is only a stopgap until the company can finish drilling its relief wells in August, which the company says will permanently stop the leak.