High seas delay planned BP well-sealing
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- High seas churning in the Gulf of Mexico delayed the start of an operation to replace the blowout preventer on the crippled BP well, the company said Monday.
"Operations will commence as soon as sea states reach acceptable levels," BP said in a statement.
The oil giant had planned to start the procedure Monday.
Retired U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man for the disaster, had said earlier BP crews were to begin work Monday to remove a "capping stack" that began trapping oil in the well last month, and that allows them to remove and replace the blowout preventer, CNN reported.
The blowout preventer is a safety valve at the top of the well.
Replacing the blowout preventer is a key step before engineers use a relief well to permanently kill the well 18,000 feet below the gulf's surface, Allen said.
"We will attempt to pull it free, and we are prepared to apply up to 80,000 (pounds) of force in addition to the weight of the blowout preventer to lift it," Allen said. "We call this the gentle tug."
After the relief well intercepts the crippled well, crews will use several days to permanently seal the well with mud and cement in a "bottom kill" procedure, CNN said.
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig leased by BP exploded April 20, killing 11 workers, then sank two days later, dumping millions of barrels of oil into the gulf until a temporary cap contained the spill July 15.
Members of a Justice Department evidence recovery team will be at the site during the blowout preventer's removal, Allen said.
Obama pushes GOP on economy
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- President Obama, back in Washington after a summer family vacation, Monday renewed his push for Republicans to support his plans to revitalize the U.S. economy.
After meeting with his economic team in the Oval Office, Obama restated his desire for Congress to pass legislation providing tax breaks and easier access to credit for small businesses. He also reiterated his desire to see the Bush-era tax cuts extended only for those not in the very top tier of wage earners, additional federal spending on infrastructure and more government incentives to promote clean energy and corporate research and development.
The Democratic president said the small-business legislation "should be Congress's first order of business when it gets back."
"Unfortunately, this bill has been languishing in the Senate for months, held up by a partisan minority that won't even allow it to go to a vote," Obama said. "That makes no sense. This bill is fully paid for. It will not add to the deficit. And there is no reason to block it besides pure partisan politics."
"So I ask Senate Republicans to drop the blockade. I know we're entering election season, but the people who sent us here expect us to work together to get things done and improve this economy."
Ex-Mormon shot Calif. bishop, brother says
VISALIA, Calif., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A California man who died in a gun battle with police after fatally shooting a Mormon Church bishop felt wronged by another church bishop, his brother said.
Police identified Kenneth James Ward, 47, of Modesto, Calif., as the man who shot to death Bishop Clay Sannar, 42, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Visalia Sunday before dying in a shootout with police less than 2 miles away, the Visalia Times-Delta reported.
Mike Ward of Bakersfield told the newspaper his older brother Kenneth took their grandfather's handgun and shot Sannar, a father of six, because he believed he had been "shunned to hell" by another bishop in 1988.
That could explain why Ward walked asked for a "bishop" or "president" when he walked into the church and shot Sannar, his brother said, but Kenneth did not know Sannar.
After shooting Sannar, Ward called police, then led officers to his childhood home, where he was killed by officers.
Visalia Police Capt. Rick Haskill said Sannar was shot several times, the Deseret News in Salt Lake City reported.
Nuclear deal with U.S. advances in India
NEW DELHI, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A crucial piece of India's nuclear pact with the United States cleared Parliament Monday.
Some analysts, however, said changes in the bill covering liability may undermine rather than strengthen bilateral ties, The New York Times reported.
The nuclear issue set off weeks of bitter debate, stirring Indian nationalism and suspicion of foreign interests while evoking memories of the 1984 Union Carbide disaster at Bhopal that killed thousands.
After its 1974 nuclear test, India refused to sign the non-proliferation treaty, and the U.S. imposed a three-decade moratorium on nuclear trade. But the deal announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then-President George W. Bush in 2005 cleared a path for India to join the nuclear club while opening a $150 billion Indian market to foreign energy companies once blocked by the moratorium.
Existing international conventions put liability for nuclear accidents solely on the reactor operator while immunizing suppliers. But the new Indian law makes suppliers potentially liable, too. Indian industry has already voiced reservations while analysts warn that foreign energy companies may now decide not to participate.
Roger Clemens arraigned in Washington
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Pitching great Roger Clemens formally pleaded not guilty Monday to six felony counts, including lying to Congress, before a federal judge in Washington.
Appearing before U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, Clemens, 48, affirmed he understood the charges against him and when the judge asked for his plea, he responded, "Not guilty, your honor," the Houston Chronicle reported.
Pretrial motions were scheduled for March 28 with jury selection to start April 5, the newspaper said.
Prosecutors informed the court they had provided a 34-page index of evidence and 12 computer disks with the material for use by Clemens' lawyers. They also said they would provide all grand jury testimony and FBI interview reports to the defense.
Clemens was to have his mug shot and fingerprints taken inside the federal courthouse.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner faces charges he lied 2 1/2 years ago to Congress when he testified about steroid use and denied his use of the banned performance-enhancing drug.
Clemens and his wife Debbie were expected to play in the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C., which started Monday.
Clemens, whose storied career included stints with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros, indicated he would fly from Washington to Myrtle Beach to play his round, accompanied by a tournament representative to verify his score, the New York Daily News said. Clemens would rejoin the rest of the field Tuesday.
