One Million Gallons of Oil Leak Into Gulf of Mexico

What's the story?

• Over 1 million gallons of oil have flowed into the Gulf of Mexico following a pipeline leak that was first detected by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday. The Coast Guard believes the leak originated near the Main Pass Oil Gathering Company's (MPOG) pipeline system, off the coast of New Orleans.
• In the last 50 years, there have been over 44 oil spills, discharging more than 420,000 gallons each, in U.S. waters. Initial assessments indicate that this new spill has released at least 1.1 million gallons, highlighting the scope of the spill.
• Coast Guard officials are trying to establish if Third Coast Infrastructure, which owns MPOG, is responsible for the spill.
• In a statement, the Coast Guard said:

“The Coast Guard continues to oversee the coordinated effort to mitigate the impact of the oil discharge. The Unified Command is coordinating with federal, state and local agencies to ensure the safety of the public, protect the environment, and respond to the incident. There have been no reports of injuries or shoreline impacts at this time.”

• Oil spills have an adverse impact on local wildlife, fisheries, and coastal populations. Authorities are particularly concerned about sea turtles and whales.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's emergency operations coordinator, Doug Helton, said:

"There are endangered and threatened species in Louisiana waters. Most of coastal Louisiana is wetlands and marshes, and that’s typically considered really sensitive to oil."

Deepwater Horizon

• The spill is bringing back memories of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which began in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, and is the largest oil spill in U.S. history. The disaster began wih an explosion on a marine platform, which led to the disappearance of 11 workers,and the release of 134 million gallons into the Gulf. It took over five months to seal the well, and killed over 105,000 sea birds.
• Deepwater Horizon resulted in a record $20.8 billion settlement with the corporations BP, Anadarko, Transocean and Halliburton, the operators of the platform.

Should we fine the oil companies involved?

-Emma Kansiz

(Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)