BP Opting for Riser Insertion Tube Option First

CNN and the New York Times are both reporting that BP is going to try to insert a pipe into the riser tonight, in an attempt to stop the Deepwater Horizon leak, and if that doesn't work, they'll try the top hat option, i.e. the small dome placed over the riser. Apparently they've opted for this course of action out of concern that there could still be a buildup of hydrates in the dome, just as there was with the larger dome earlier in the week.

For the record, two weeks ago today I proposed to the authorities, including BP, that a 5000 foot hose be attached to the leaky riser, and oil siphoned off to a waiting vessel on the surface. It's nice to see they are going with a variation of this plan. Let's hope it works, and if it doesn't, that the dome option does. But why didn't they act on my suggestion earlier, while the big dome was being built, for instance? What did they have to lose? Think how much oil might have been prevented from entering the marine environment.