A pipeline leak spilled more than 1 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. |
© U.S. Coast Guard/Courtesy Clean Gulf Associates via AP |
It appears to have started near New Orleans -
Coast Guard officials say the origin of the leak appears to be near the Main Pass Oil Gathering company’s pipeline system, located around Plaquemines Parish, La., southeast of New Orleans.
- The leak was first reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Thursday morning
It’s much bigger than the average oil spill in U.S. waters - Thousands of oil spills occur in U.S. waters every year, though most are a single barrel or less of oil.
- Over the last 50 years, at least 44 spills have released more than 420,000 gallons each.
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Initial assessments indicate the latest Gulf spill is at least 1.1 million gallons.
It’s still far short of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster - The Deepwater Horizon disaster, which began on April 20, 2010, is the largest known aquatic oil spill in U.S. history.
- It began with an explosion on a marine platform, injuring 17 and causing the disappearance of 11 workers whose bodies were never recovered.
- That spill discharged some 134 million gallons into the Gulf.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. |
