Pipeline leaks oil into Louisiana wildlife refuge

Bruce Nichols in Reuters: An oil pipeline operated by Chevron Pipe Line Co leaked at least 18,000 gallons (68,100 liters) of crude oil into the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Tuesday. No wildlife covered with, or affected by oil had been found Tuesday afternoon, but the exact environmental impact remained undetermined, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife said.

The leak, discovered by a contractor shortly after midnight, discharged into a canal 10 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, and investigative and cleanup teams were on scene, the Coast Guard said in a news release. A barge working for Exxon Mobil Corp was driving long pipes called "spuds" to anchor the barge in place, and one may have hit the pipeline operated by Chevron, a Coast Guard spokesman said….

A raccoon in Louisiana's Delta National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service