Judge: Halliburton cement tests a priority

A federal judge says tests should be performed as soon as possible on cement Halliburton Co. used to seal the BP well that blew out catastrophically in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said some of the components may be “deteriorating over time” and that tests should be done “as soon as reasonably practicable.”

Barbier is overseeing lawsuits filed after the BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and setting off a massive oil spill.

Halliburton’s cementing work on the well has jumped to the forefront of investigations into the explosion.

On Thursday, the president’s oil spill commission said tests performed before the blowout should have raised doubts about the cement used to seal the well.