Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said tests and analysis should be finished Friday. Allen is the Obama administration's lead coordinator on the Gulf oil spill.
The tests are to check pressure inside the well. In July a temporary cap on the gusher stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf. Mud and cement pumped in from above once the cap was attached may have sealed the well for good.
If so, Allen said, there's no need to continue work on plugging the well from below.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
