A severely corroded pipeline full of diesel fuel ruptured, spilling 300,000 gallons outside New Orleans on December 27, 2021. According to federal records, the operator delayed needed repairs that the corroded pipeline required.
State and local officials said, the fuel drained into two artificial ponds called “borrow pits,” killing thousands of fish, birds, and other animals.
According to statistics provided by Robert “Trey” Iles, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, more than 100 animals, including 39 snakes, 32 birds, a few eels, a blue crab, and 2,300 fish were killed.
Robert’s statics showed that the diesel fuel spill also impacted 72 alligators, 23 birds, 20 snakes, and 12 turtles.
WWL-TV reported that Chalmette Refining is working with Wildlife and Fisheries to clean, examine and treat impacted wildlife.
NOLA reported no reports of alligator deaths, but many of them appear ill from contact with the diesel fuel.
“We weren’t expecting to find so many alligators in that one area,” Laura Carver, Wildlife and Fisheries oil spill response coordinator, told the news outlet. “Thankfully, they’re pretty sturdy animals.”
Federal records show that an inspection more than a year earlier, in October 2020, revealed external corrosion along a 22-foot section of the pipe, at the same place the rupture happened.
According to the records, no fines or other penalties were levied against the company. What do you think should be done?
