The Hill News

The effort to permanently seal a leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is "just about over," President Obama said Monday.

The president said that the effort to use cement to kill the leaking well off the coast of Louisiana appears to have been successful, moving both the government and BP closer to permanently end the flow of oil into Gulf waters.

"Yesterday we learned that a procedure to prevent any more spilling with a cement plug appears to have succeeded," Obama noted at a White House ceremony this morning to congratulate the New Orleans Saints on their Super Bowl victory earlier this year.

"The battle to prevent oil from flowing into the Gulf is just about over," Obama said.

Obama emphasized that his administration, as well as BP, remained committed to cleanup and recovery efforts in the future.

Oil had begun flowing from a deepwater horizon well on April 20 of this year, when an explosion triggered the und! erwater leak. The ongoing spill was one of the worst ecological disasters in U.S. history, and the Obama administration received some criticism for its quickness to respond to the crisis.

Since then, the administration had moved to force BP, which leased the well, to set up a $20 billion account to fund payouts for claims it faced for the disaster. As the spill progressed, the administration prodded BP to use technology to contain more and more of the flow. Democrats also picked up some political momentum after Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), a top committee Republican, apologized to BP's CEO during a congressional hearing for the Obama administration's work to compel BP to set up the relief fund.

Obama noted the effect the sealed well would have on the Gulf seafood industry, which suffered under the oil spill. He said that he'd enjoyed the Gulf seafood served on Sunday at a birthday barbecue with friends and family, and joked that the White House staff w! as looking forward to a 30-foot po boy being served for lunch.!
< br />The First Family will also take a short vacation in the Gulf later this week, part of an effort to show by example that the region is safe for tourism, another major industry hit by the spill.