People of Louisiana: Please Apologize to whatever deity you have offended. I don't think you can take much more of this.

[Doc]

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/us/28leak.html

NEW ORLEANS — A wellhead in southeastern Louisiana was spewing a mist of oil and gas up to 100 feet into the air after being hit by a tug boat early Tuesday morning, officials said. It is at least the third unrelated oil leak in the area since the Deepwater Horizon spill began 99 days earlier.

The well is about 65 miles south of New Orleans in Barataria Bay, which is surrounded by wildlife-rich wetlands and was a fertile area for fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen before the BP spill. By Tuesday afternoon, a reddish brown sheen 50 yards by one mile long was spotted near the well, according to a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard.

[kj4btkljv]

At least this leak isn't a mile or more under the water. They'll have it fixed in no time...

Jeff

[PeterB]

I don't think any deities are involved. Just stupid humans. And there seem to be a lot of those down here...

[MacArtist]

When they say...

"We've enjoyed a long successful relationship between the State of Louisiana and the petroleum industry."

They really meant to say...

"We've been damn lucky and it looks like our luck ran out."

[OWC Jamie]

In unrelated news - some rather large chunks of state waters have been reopened to fishing and shrimp catching as the FDA has tested and determined the fish and shrimp there are safe for human consumption. Shellfish are still off-limits.
Probably good news for those with boats that have been sitting at the dock and even those who were able to garner some skimming work.
This must mean some of the rod and reel guys can start taking parties back out, too.

[PeterB]

Yes, it appears that TS/TD Bonnie may have actually done us some good...

[$tevie]

MacArtist wrote:
When they say...

"We've enjoyed a long successful relationship between the State of Louisiana and the petroleum industry."

They really meant to say...

"We've been damn lucky and it looks like our luck ran out."

I'm afraid you've got it exactly right.

[michaelb]

I found this article a really interesting discussion of the long past history of dumping and abusing the gulf; and the relative lack of any interest in environmental protection there by the residents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/us/30gulf.html?src=me

[OWC Jamie]

The Atlantic Ocean has been a dumping ground for garbage and been abused even longer.

New York City fought the EPA for decades and finally lost the ability to dump garbage 12 miles offshore and sewer sludge 100 miles offshore in 1988 and 1992.

needles still wash up on area beaches every now and then.

when some politician wants to make an issue of it, they are counted and reported.
when there's "no money" to do so, they are just picked up and thrown back out.

[lafinfil]

Not just the gulf either. There was a spill from a broken cross country pipeline in Michigan this week
with oil making it's way to Lake Michigan - a major source of drinking water.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100727/NE...ttle-Creek

Who knows how many of these old pipe lines are buried underground ready to fail.