Feds approve plan to identify source of Gulf sheen

• Officials hope to identify the source of a sheen in the Gulf associated with the Deepwater oil spill
• BP and Transocean may be held responsible for the costs of identifying the source and the cleanup
• Oil appears to have leaked last month from the drilling wreckage lying at the bottom of the Gulf

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal officials have approved a joint plan from BP and Transocean to identify the source of a sheen in the Gulf Of Mexico associated with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Officials said in a news release late Friday that the federal on-site coordinator approved the joint plan on Thursday. Coast Guard Capt. Duke Walker had required the plan, and federal officials had informed BP and Transocean they might be held responsible for the costs of identifying the source and the cleanup.

The news release says the plan calls for "satellite observations and mobilizing remotely operated vehicles to examine the original Macondo well area including the wreckage, debris and the riser on the sea floor."

The Coast Guard will oversee the remote vehicle mobilization Sunday, with operations taking place early next week, logistics and weather permitting.

Federal scientists and BP say oil appears to have leaked last month from the drilling wreckage lying at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico near where a BP well blew out in 2010, causing the nation's worst offshore spill.