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Breaking: Two new oil spills hit the US
photo credit: Greenpeace USA 2010
Yesterday the United States experienced two more oil spills: One in the Gulf of Mexico, the other in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.
A tug boat, which was pushing a barge, ran into an abandoned well in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday morning, causing gas and oil to spew 100ft (30m) into the air.
The well is located in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, some 65 miles (105km) south of New Orleans. Barataria Bay is an ecologically rich wetlands and fishing area that has been unused since the Deepwater Horizon spill began on April 10th. This is at least the third oil leak in the Gulf area since the BP disaster.
From a report in the Telegraph:
Admiral Thad Allen, the US Coast Guard chief, said the oil platform was surrounded by a sheen and a vapour that was probably a combination of oil and gas spewing from the well.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, on Monday a pipeline broke in the US state of Michigan, spilling some 877,000 gallons (19,500 barrels) of oil into a creek that feeds into the Kalamazoo River, covering birds, fish and other local wildlife in crude.
From an AP report:
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm toured the area by helicopter Tuesday night and said she wasn’t satisfied with the response to the spill. The leak in the 30-inch pipeline, which was built in 1969 and carries about 8 million gallons of oil daily from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario, was detected early Monday.
On Tuesday Governor Granholm declared a state of disaster in response to the leak.
Graham Land
Additional resources:
Associated Press – Michigan: 800,000 Gallons of Oil Spill After Pipe Breaks
Tags: Barataria, bay, gas, Granholm, Gulf, Kalamazoo, leak, Michigan, oil, pipeline, river, spill, well
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Thanks for the read; good coverage.
Until we wake up to the conclusion that continual oil drilling in more ecologically precious areas, and stop our thirst for oil and change to renewables occurs, then such environmental carnage will continue.
I think these are just symptoms of the reality of this massive fossil fuel industry that we are addicted to. Couple that with an aging energy infrastructure and deregulation and you get a high frequency of mishaps.
Sorry it hit so close to home, Brenda. I imagine these things will eventually hit everyone close to home, but I hope we can get off fossil fuels before they do.
Are they mentally preparing us for the worsening situation in the Gulf.
This is three and a half miles from us and it’s enough to make anyone cry. After all that has been going on in the Gulf of Mexico, it is obvious that carelessness is still abundant among crude oil pipe owners; such a shame.