If a stable column of mud has been set up in the well, keeping the oil at bay through its sheer weight, the next step would be to set cement in the well and seal it off permanently.

ECONOMIST: Nerves are fraying a month after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Instead of remaining concentrated at the surface, dispersed oil pollutes the entire water column.

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"Forty-one survivors said that they smelled oil, but there were no witnesses of flames, fire or a water column, nor were there any injuries from these factors, " Yonhap quotes the full report as saying.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

But as this column discussed a month ago, U.S. production is booming as new technologies unlock vast deposits of oil and gas trapped in porous shale, and oil prices remain strong.

WSJ: Upside: Oil Partnerships Keep Rolling