| 4,200 Gallons of Oil Spilled Off New Orleans |
The U.S. Coast Guard has reported a spill of up to 4,200 gallons of crude from a pipeline near Lake Grand Ecaille, Louisiana on Monday, in Plaquemines Parish.
The pipeline, an abandoned flow line formerly operated by Hilcorp Energy, has been secured. "The leak was immediately stopped and the spill has been contained," the firm said in a statement.
Approximately eight square miles are affected. Response contractors Environmental Safety and Health have deployed a containment boom and are working to clean up the spill. The Coast Guard, NOAA, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinators Office and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are also involved in supervising the response. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans aircrews have conducted aerial surveillance to monitor the spill.
The Coast Guard and Hilcorp are investigating, and Hilcorp said in a statement that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the incident.
