WT Forums

*Meanwhile, I'm paying over $3.00/gallon...*

Oil spilling into Mississippi below New Orleans

Updated: 3:46 p.m. ET Sept. 2, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana officials said Friday they have spotted a “major oil spill” from two storage tanks near Venice, a town in the Mississippi River Delta and south of New Orleans.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said a flyover revealed a leak from tanks capable of holding 2 million barrels of fuel.

“There is oil leaking, but we don’t have access to the area,” said Jean Kelly, spokeswoman for the agency, adding that Homeland Security officials are restricting access.

The department said it is continuing to assess the situation from the air.

Coast Guard officials in St. Louis said they were looking into the report but that their priority was search and rescue in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

No further details were given.

The department was also analyzing air samples from a warehouse fire Friday in New Orleans.

“DEQ staff was able to fly over the site and initially found nothing of significance in air. Further analysis of the air samples is ongoing,” the department said in a statement.

The department added that it hoped to soon have two helicopters dedicated to assessing wider areas for environmental problems.

Reuters contributed to this report.

"The first thing you learn in life is you're a fool. The last thing you learn is you're the same fool."
- Ray Bradbury