http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/290333
Louisiana oil spill highlights need to protect Gulf from drilling
After being noticed early on Tuesday morning, the US Coast Guard, State of Louisiana and the Cypress Pipeline Company have been working for days to contain a pipeline leak that has seen 18,000 gallons of oil released.
Stephanie Dearing
New Orleans, LA – Cypress Pipeline shut down the section of pipe, preventing even more oil from being pumped into the sensitive coastal area of Louisiana, home to the Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Wednesday saw over 16 vessels deployed to the scene, with up to 50 people working to set up a boom to contain the spill. It is estimated the spill covers 160 square miles.
The released oil came from a Chevron operation, although Cypress owns the pipe. Officials are downplaying the potential impact, saying the effects of the leak appears to be minimal. The cause of the leak is not known, and an investigation is ongoing.
The wildlife refuge is situated at the mouth of the Mississippi, and is home to migratory water fowl. There are 455 oil and gas wells in the refuge, all there with permission of the government. The refuge is also habitat for several endangered species, including the American Alligator and the Arctic Peregrine Falcon.
According to researchers, “The Mississippi Delta encompasses the largest area of coastal wetlands in the United States and supports one of the most extensive developments of petroleum extraction of any coastal area in the world. This area has experienced ecological impacts from energy development related human activities since the early 1900s.”
40% of America’s refining capacity is situated in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Mexico, wrote Ko and Day in their study, with Louisiana America’s number two source of crude oil source.
The incident has sparked a renewal of calls against further oil drilling in the Gulf, with environmental groups saying there is not enough oversight. Activists point to previous spills in the Gulf of Mexico; such as the January incident that saw over 450,000 gallons of oil released into the Gulf after an oil-laden ship collided with a tug boat. Last summer, an underwater pipeline leak saw over 58,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf.
There are thousands of miles of pipeline in the United States that carry oil and natural gas. Pipelines are the number one mode for transporting oil in the United States.
There are a number of international interests drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. China has been trying to get a toehold on accessing some of the riches hidden under the Gulf of Mexico waters, reportedly negotiating to take over oil leases from a Norwegian company.
Chevron is attempting to access oil reserves deep under the Gulf of Mexico, and the operation is not cheap. The company is currently spending $1 million per day to try to access the oil — which might not even exist. Companies are willing to spend extravagant sums of money in a bid to tap into the oil thought to be hidden beneath the Gulf.
Current extraction sees about 1.5 million barrels of oil a day coming out of the Gulf of Mexico. Tapping into new reserves could push that up to 1.88 million barrels a day.
Environmentalists are concerned with the quality of the water in the ocean, as well as protecting vulnerable plant and animal species. Organizations representing businesses found around the Gulf of Mexico are concerned that the push to drill for oil deep in the Gulf will negatively affect tourism.
There are thousands of oil drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, although not all are in operation.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/290352
Digital Journal
La. resident fears dangers from gas exploration, drilling Special
Carol Forsloff
Trucks move down a side street in Saline, Louisiana with others as part of a parade in small town America.
Dolores Blalock has 50 acres of land in Sabine, Louisiana, estimated worth a lot of money for oil and natural gas, but Blalock is standing up and saying no to pollution of family land, a remarkable stance for anyone who could perhaps make millions.
As the oil spill from pipeline leakage enters the Gulf, the conversations about hydraulic fracturing and natural gas exploration have revved up around Natchitoches Parish. Most people say they favor it as they also advocate exploring offshore sites. But some don’t, like Blalock; and they are rare.
The oil and gas men have been surrounding Natchitoches Parish and the areas of North and Central Louisiana, with their big promises of big money.
Some of the humble folk have marched into banks flush with cash in bulging pockets. These are the new rich. So what’s the issue? Why wouldn’t someone like Blalock succumb?
The issue is hydraulic fracturing and worries about pollution that already plague Louisiana, especially when many believe the southern part of the State sold out to oil and gas interests long ago. The process of hydraulic fracturing is different than the oil drilling that goes on in coastal areas, but the concerns about the environment are still strong, among the few few protest locally. The issue is water pollution and potentially cancer-causing contaminants.
But Blalock won’t and says this, “This is my parents’ land. It has belonged to my family and is pristine. I intend to keep it. I don’t care if other people sell out. Until I know the drilling is really safe, I am not going to budge. I see other people offered money, but I’m not sure I want to go in that direction.”
Blalock has lived in Louisiana off and on for about two years since the death of her mother who left her a house and 50 acres of land. It is property that her parents purchased many years ago, and other family members own tracts of land nearby. But she has spent many years in California as well, returning to Louisiana where she spent her childhood and young adulthood to take care of family business and perhaps to permanently settle. She has the environmental concerns she brings from the Western states and looks at the issues in Louisiana with different eyes than people around the area.
“I worry about the long-term effects of this business,” Blalock declares, “And I don’t want to be one of those people who helps cause the problems for the state, even though I know other people just look at the money thing. I have to live with myself, frankly; and I just can’t see doing something that would put people at risk. If they show me real evidence, and I find it myself too, then maybe I will be interested in their money. But not until, and maybe never.”
In some parts of the country there have already been lawsuits on the practice of oil and gas drilling. This is in addition to objections made by environmentalists about drilling along the Gulf Coast.
Scott Lumry, a Natchitoches resident, says about Natchitoches that in spite of the economic downturn the area will likely survive. He says, “People around here are getting money from oil and gas and more is coming in all the time. I see folks are likely going to make it in spite of University cutbacks, because this new business is getting people excited.”
Exciting some, but worrying others, the oil and gas business of drilling, and the concerns about pollution continue, even as the oil spill reported today by Stephanie Dearing continues to enter the Gulf.
But central and northern residents, for the most part, remain interested in money to be made from natural gas, as evidenced by the talk in the town, what Lumry has said and bank tellers at the local Bank of Montgomery who notice more folks coming in with money. Few are like Blalock and ask the hard questions.
New York is now the epicenter of protest against hydraulic fracturing even as North and Central Louisiana continue to give thumbs up to the process, so the economy can proceed to go forward without interruption.