Oil Spill: Cracked Pipeline Spills 63,000 Gallons In The Gulf Of Mexico
Big Oil has a shameful history. That’s why in this series we are highlighting some of its most recent disastrous oil spills and raising awareness of the devastation that will occur if the industry is allowed to drill in the Arctic and off our coasts. Join us in the effort to protect our special places from drilling!
The Eugene Island Pipeline System is owned by multiple subsidiaries of big oil corporations like Shell, Exxon and Chevron. The pipeline is part of an extensive network and transports crude oil 154 miles underneath the Gulf of Mexico. A crack in the pipeline 60 miles South West of Houma, Louisiana spilled roughly 1,400 barrels ( approximately 63,000 gallons) of crude oil into the ocean. Over several days the spill covered as much as 80 square miles. Out of all the oil released into the ocean, only 276 barrels were recovered.
This means that over 1300 barrels of oil have now found a permanent home in the Gulf of Mexico which threatens marine and plant life, as well as the coastal habitats. Marine animals such as fish and otters often mistake the oil slicks for food and ingest the toxic residue. The oil also coats the feathers and fur and marine animals and birds, leaving them vulnerable and distressed. When the oil coats the feathers on birds, they lose their ability to trap air and repel water which induces hypothermia, and leads to death.
Join us in telling President Obama to protect America’s Arctic from the dangers of drilling!
By Jessie Tucker
