The bigger issue is that, once you stop pumping out oil, water rushes in to equalize the vacuum and creates a milkshake...
Extracting the oil from the milkshake is nearly impossible and the amount of non-contaminated crude is GREATLY reduced, from a previously very productive well.
So...if they have to cap the well, they're really screwing up their output capacity...
They have the choice of pumping it and letting it spill/pool all over the topsoil or capping it and spoiling output - once they run out of barrels to put it in and places to put those barrels...
It's not just that...
The bigger issue is that, once you stop pumping out oil, water rushes in to equalize the vacuum and creates a milkshake...
Extracting the oil from the milkshake is nearly impossible and the amount of non-contaminated crude is GREATLY reduced, from a previously very productive well.
So...if they have to cap the well, they're really screwing up their output capacity...
They have the choice of pumping it and letting it spill/pool all over the topsoil or capping it and spoiling output - once they run out of barrels to put it in and places to put those barrels...