Cleanup was underway this week off the coast of southeast Louisiana of an oil spill apparently caused by a leak from an abandoned pipeline.
The U.S. Coast Guard said the leak happened near marshland along Lake Grand Ecaille, which is about 60 miles southeast of New Orleans.
The owner of the abandoned line is listed as Hilcorp Energy of Houston where a spokesman explained the leak was quickly stopped and cleanup had begun. An estimated 1,260 to 4,200 gallons had leaked from the line.
The Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office explained the oil leaked from a malfunctioning valve. The Coast Guard oversaw the response along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.