received from bp tonight agreed to allow so-called integrity testing to begin, to see if the blown out well can handle the high pressures of shutting down the flow of oil within it. crude still gushing into the gulf at this hour. admiral allen saying in tonight's briefing that the government gave its permission for testing to begin after a 24-hour delay, satisfied that bp's latest scheme does not raise undue risks that outweigh the potential reward. testing to be conducted in stages. bp to slowly close each of the five outlets on the cap at six-hour intervals, stopping to monitor the results through seismic testing and with remote vehicles. if all goes as planned, the testing to end after 48 hours to evaluate the results then. the risk of sealing the leak, even temporarily, that it could force the creation of other leaks further down the line. federal officials having been concerned that oil and gas could end up escaping through cracks in the wellbore. >> we have never been sanguine or sure that we have known the