US Demands BP Detail Next Steps To Cap Oil Slick

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The U.S. government Thursday gave BP Plc (BP) 24 hours to outline its next steps to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, saying efforts to cap a fractured well were entering a "critical stage." The U.S. pointman in the crisis, Thad Allen, wrote to BP managing director Bob Dudley saying that after talks planned for Friday the British energy giant must hand over "detailed plans and timelines." BP is preparing to replace the containment cap on the ruptured wellhead with a more secure seal and to hook up a third containment ship to the system to capture more of the leaking oil. "To approve these potential actions, I must have knowledge of the steps and decision points involved," Allen wrote, highlighting that while the actions are being carried out the amount of oil pouring into the Gulf could increase. He said he wanted to know the "mitigation efforts to be implemented and contingency plans if these efforts are not successful." (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 08, 2010 13:07 ET (17:07 GMT)