Oil leak off Louisiana coast contained but clean up continues, Coast Guard says

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

May 5, 2025 / 12:08 AM EDT


After more than a week of oil shooting vertically out of an unused well off the coast of Louisiana, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Sunday evening that the offshore well blowout — first reported on April 26 — has been controlled. The well had been leaking oil and natural gas in a 30 to 40-foot-high "geyser of oil," as one witness described, contaminating nearby marshland and protected Gulf Coast habitats, and prompting a large-scale emergency response.

"Gaining control of the discharge is a vital milestone, but it marks only the beginning of our work. The Unified Command is fully committed to an exhaustive cleanup effort and will remain on site for as long as necessary to ensure the removal of oil and the safety of both the community and the ecosystem," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Greg Callaghan,, a federal on-scene coordinator who was monitoring the leak. The federal government assumed control of the response effort on Thursday, with the Coast Guard taking over coordination from Spectrum Opco, the company operating the well, along with the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office.

Cleanup and mitigation efforts are ongoing, involving National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Coast Guard and multiple state and local agencies, as well as private contractors hired by the owner of the well. The Coast Guard said one "oiled bird" had been spotted near the spill site, but had not been captured. The agency said no other wildlife impacts have yet been reported. However, federal maps online indicate pollutants have drifted into a protected area for endangered sea turtles.

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, which provides scientific support during oil and chemical spills, has recently seen a drastic reduction in staffing. According to former employees who spoke with CBS News, that office alone lost 30 of its 85 staff members following cost-cutting measures the Trump administration implemented under the White House's Department of Government Efficiency initiative

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-coast-oil-leak-containment-update/

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REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143452357

[Buddyzbuddy]

1. Would that be the Gulf of Mexico, CBS?

[BumRushDaShow]

2. The last sentence in the artcile at the link has this -

A recent study estimates there are more than 14,000 unplugged oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico alone.

They could probably get away with it because the link in that sentence points to a research article - Study Shows 14,000 Unplugged Oil and Gas Wells in Gulf of Mexico

I have noticed a number of articles simply avoid using "Gulf of" and just reference it in terms of a state's "coast" if it is adjacent to the gulf.

[Buddyzbuddy]

3. Yes, I've notice the same. Lots of references to the gulf coast.

Or the gulf coast off the (fill in the state) coast.