Current:Home > StocksDivers Are Investigating The Source Of Oil Spill Off The Coast Of Louisiana-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Divers Are Investigating The Source Of Oil Spill Off The Coast Of Louisiana
View Date:2024-12-23 19:56:17
Divers were working Sunday to locate the source of an oil spill roughly two miles off the coast of Louisiana, in the Bay Marchand area of the Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. John Edwards said Houston-based Talos Energy, an oil and gas company with operations in the Gulf, had hired Clean Gulf Associates as the oil spill response organization for the polluted area in Bay Marchand.
Talos has also contracted the dive team that will determine the source of the spill, Edwards said. In the meantime, Edwards said Clean Gulf Associates is running skimmers — devices that help pick up spilled oil from the water — in the region to help mitigate any further environmental impact.
The Coast Guard says it has multiple teams working to determine the extent of the pollution. Once the source of the leak has been identified by divers, the Coast Guard will work on a recovery and source control plan, Edwards said.
Since divers are continuing to retrieve information on the spill, the source remains unclear. The Associated Press reported that although Talos has hired Clean Gulf Associates and divers to find the source of the leak, the company said it does not believe they are responsible. The Coast Guard also said it does not know where the oil may be coming from.
"Talos took the initiative to respond to the pollution report and hired an oil spill response organization, however; the source of the product and the responsible party has not been determined yet," Coast Guard spokesperson Gabriel Wisdom said.
Talos and Clean Gulf Associates did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Experts say the spill is far enough away for now to avoid major harm
News of the spill in Bay Marchand comes after the Associated Press reported satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last week that showed several other potential oil spills in the Gulf.
Environmental experts say the spill is far enough away from the coast itself that harm to local habitats is not immediately feared. But containing the damage so it does not reach aquatic organisms and sediment on the shore is absolutely critical.
"Right now, it's moving along the coastal area. It hasn't started moving inshore and contaminating the coastal area, and that's critical to get as much done before it gets all the way to the coastal area," Wilma Subra, a technical advisor at Louisiana Environmental Action Network, told NPR.
Identifying spills after a hurricane can take longer than expected
Because of the intensity of hurricanes that hit the Gulf region, particularly one as strong as Hurricane Ida, oil and gas companies will typically evacuate some personnel who work on offshore rigs. But that can mean that the response time in finding oil spills and addressing them can be slower, Subra said.
"There's not a lot of people out there being able to stay in the water and see, so you're having to do satellite imagery ... That's the only way in the early phases that you can observe these spills and start addressing them as soon as possible," Subra said.
Oil spills reaching closer to the coast would also impact livelihoods of people who work in the seafood industry, which brings in billions in the Gulf region. Harm to fish, crabs, shrimp and other sea life could potentially impact thousands of jobs.
"It will have an immense negative impact on the environment as well as on the abilities of the communities to continue to survive," Subra said.
veryGood! (8328)
Related
- Here's what 3 toys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year
- Republican attorneys general issue warning letter to Target about Pride merchandise
- RHONJ: Teresa Giudice and Joe Gorga Share Final Words Before Vowing to Never Speak Again
- Style Meets Function With These 42% Off Deals From Shay Mitchell's Béis
- Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
- 5 takeaways from the front lines of the inflation fight
- Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan Respond to Criticism of Their 16-Year Age Gap
- Rachel Bilson’s Vibrator Confession Will Have You Buzzing
- Agents search home of ex-lieutenant facing scrutiny as police probe leak of school shooting evidence
- As Deaths Surge, Scientists Study the Link Between Climate Change and Avalanches
Ranking
- 4 charged in Detroit street shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
- Should Solar Geoengineering Be a Tool to Slow Global Warming, or is Manipulating the Atmosphere Too Dangerous?
- Close Coal Plants, Save Money: That’s an Indiana Utility’s Plan. The Coal Industry Wants to Stop It.
- Musk asks in poll if he should step down as Twitter CEO; users vote yes
- Why Cynthia Erivo Needed Prosthetic Ears for Wicked
- Alberta’s $5.3 Billion Backing of Keystone XL Signals Vulnerability of Canadian Oil
- Warming Trends: A Baby Ferret May Save a Species, Providence, R.I. is Listed as Endangered, and Fish as a Carbon Sink
- This Is Not a Drill: Save $60 on the TikTok-Loved Solawave Skincare Wand That Works in 5 Minutes
Recommendation
-
Man waives jury trial in killing of Georgia nursing student
-
People in Lebanon are robbing banks and staging sit-ins to access their own savings
-
How inflation expectations affect the economy
-
For the Ohio River Valley, an Ethane Storage Facility in Texas Is Either a Model or a Cautionary Tale
-
Love Is Blind’s Chelsea Blackwell Reacts to Megan Fox’s Baby News
-
How Johnny Depp Is Dividing Up His $1 Million Settlement From Amber Heard
-
RHONJ: Teresa Giudice and Joe Gorga Share Final Words Before Vowing to Never Speak Again
-
Luke Bryan Defends Katy Perry From Critics After American Idol Backlash