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• 11:45 Update on Oil Platform Explosion

  September 2, 2010 12:45 PM

  NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) - An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay. The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the explosion, which was reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the site around 9... more »

• Oil Rig Hearing in Recess Until Thursday

  July 20, 2010 8:31 PM

  KENNER, La. (AP) - Wednesday's hearing into the cause of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster has been canceled because all four scheduled witnesses have declined to appear, a Coast Guard spokesman said. David Adler, lawyer for Transocean Ltd. subsea superintendent Bill Stringfellow and Transocean subsea supervisor Mark Hay, said... more »

• Lt. Governor Addresses Moratorium in Lafayette

  June 17, 2010 12:30 PM

  Hundreds came out to support local leaders as they work towards alternatives to the 6-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. The featured speaker at the Acadiana Regional Alliance meeting Thursday was Lieutenant Governor Angelle, who just got back from Washington D.C., working as the voice of Louisiana's concerns. The... more »

• Oil Rig Workers Forced to Job Hunt After Drill Ban

  June 17, 2010 9:18 AM

  MORGAN CITY, La. (AP) - Mr. Charlie has seen the up and downs over the years in the oil patch off Louisiana's coast, but this could be the toughest slump of all. Earlier this week, the steel rig stationed on the Atchafalaya River graduated what could be one of its... more »

• 2nd tank believed from BP's rig explosion washed ashore

  June 14, 2010 1:57 PM

  MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A second storage tank believed to be from BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion has washed ashore in the Florida Panhandle. The Walton County Sheriff's Office said Monday that BP was taking the tank to New Orleans where the April rig explosion is being investigated.... more »

• Piece of Oil Rig Washes up on Florida Beach

  June 12, 2010 9:58 PM

  PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A piece of wreckage from the deepsea rig that exploded in April has washed up on a beach in Florida about 190 miles from the site of the disaster. Bay County Sheriff Deputy Ray Maulbeck was working beach patrol Saturday morning when he came... more »

• 2 Workers From Oil Rig Explosion Told Congress Company Cut Corners

  May 27, 2010 5:24 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Two workers injured when an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico tell Congress that the companies in charge of the doomed drilling operation cut corners and neglected maintenance in a race toward higher profits. Laborer Stephen Stone told the House Judiciary Committee Thursday that the... more »

• Emerging Oil Rig Evidence Shows Lack of Regulation

  May 13, 2010 9:44 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The first firm evidence of what likely caused the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil blowout - a devastating sequence of equipment failures - drives home a central unsettling point about America's oil industry: key safety features at tens of thousands of U.S. offshore rigs are barely regulated.... more »

• Methane Bubble Triggered Explosion

  May 8, 2010 10:31 AM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - The deadly blowout of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals... more »

• 65 Potential Class Action Lawsuits

  May 6, 2010 10:57 AM

  MIAMI (AP) - A federal judicial panel in Washington has been asked to consolidate at least 65 potential class action lawsuits claiming economic damage from the Gulf oil spill. Shrimpers, commercial fishermen, business and resort owners, charter boat captains and even would-be vacationers have filed lawsuits from Texas... more »

• Rig in Baldwin Canal

  May 5, 2010 7:27 PM

  A different oil rig is causing some concern in St. Mary Parish. The rig rolled into the Baldwin Canal on Friday. It is a drilling barge that was being dismantled for scraps at T. Moore Services just south of US 90. There wasn't any oil on board because the... more »

• Shrimp Markets Feeling The Sting From Oil Slick

  May 4, 2010 6:35 PM

  KATC's Mike Magnoli reports on Ocean Harvest Wholesalers based in Delcambre: The business owners, like many others in the industry, feel closing the shrimp season on Tuesday at 6 PM was premature and will be too costly. more »

• 3 Workers Who Survived Oil Rig Explosion File Lawsuit

  May 4, 2010 4:30 PM

  MIAMI (AP) - Three workers who survived an explosion aboard an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico have filed a lawsuit claiming they were kept floating in lifeboats at sea for more than 10 hours. The lawsuit filed in Galveston, Texas, says the men couldn't even call home to... more »

• Obama: Leak Could Take Many Days to Stop

  May 2, 2010 6:56 PM

  VENICE, La. (AP) - No remedy in sight, President Barack Obama on Sunday warned of a "massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster" as a badly damaged oil well a mile deep in the Gulf of Mexico spewed a widening and deadly slick toward delicate wetlands... more »

• BP Defends Safety Record

  May 2, 2010 12:19 PM

  VENICE, La. (AP) - BP's chairman defended his company's safety record and said Sunday that "a failed piece of equipment" was to blame for a massive oil spill along the Gulf Coast, where President Barack Obama was headed for a firsthand update on the slick ... more »

• New Orleans Residents Smell Oil Odor

  April 30, 2010 11:53 AM

  The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality are reporting that residents of coastal areas of southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans, may be detecting an odor possibly resulting from the oil spill approaching the Louisiana coast. DHH... more »

• Jindal Asks for Help For Fishermen

  April 30, 2010 11:17 AM

  Today, Governor Bobby Jindal sent the following letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke requesting the declaration of a commercial fisheries failure as well as support from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration for commercial and recreational fishing businesses. This declaration will provide financial assistance to... more »

• Oil Spill Impact on Louisiana Wildlife

  April 29, 2010 8:42 PM

  There's no stopping the 210,000 gallons of oil approaching the Louisiana coast. Barbara Benson, an environmental science professor at the University of Louisiana, said "it may and probably will be the biggest spill in the history of the United States." There are only hours left until... more »

• Oil To Reach Mississippi River Delta Tonight

  April 29, 2010 4:29 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal official says the leading edge of a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to reach the Mississippi River delta by Thursday night. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration spokesman Charles Henry says as of this morning, part of the... more »

• Thursday's Oil Spill Update

  April 29, 2010 4:06 PM

  VENICE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency and the federal government sent in skimmers and booms Thursday as oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico oozed toward the fragile coastline. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Sally Brice-O'Hara said... more »

• Spill's Effect on Climate Bill

  April 29, 2010 1:55 PM

  Obama administration officials say the Gulf Coast oil rig spill will be considered in the expansion of offshore drilling and will become part of the debate on climate change in Congress. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the cause, still not... more »

• Briefing To Be Streamed Live on TV and KATC.com

  April 29, 2010 1:38 PM

  Governor Bobby Jindal will be holding a briefing at 2:30 in Baton Rouge to update residents on the oil spill emergency. KATC will carry that speech live on television and at KATC.com. more »

• Congressional Investigation Into Oil Rig Explosion

  April 27, 2010 5:15 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawmakers have asked the owner and operator of the oil rig that exploded last week in the Gulf of Mexico for documents as part of a congressional investigation into the accident. The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California, and... more »

• Oil Well Leaking 42,000 Gallons in Gulf Per Day

  April 25, 2010 10:40 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - It could take hours or it could take months to stop a 42,000-gallon-a-day oil leak polluting the Gulf of Mexico at the site of a wrecked drilling platform. Whether the environmental threat grows many times bigger depends on whether the oil company can turn the well... more »

• Oil Spill Fears After Oil Rig Explosion

  April 23, 2010 9:08 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - As the Coast Guard searched for 11 crew members missing after a drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities turned their focus to controlling an oil spill that could threaten the fragile ecosystem of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts. The Deepwater Horizon... more »

• Obama Orders Help in Gulf of Mexico

  April 22, 2010 7:36 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is ordering federal agencies to devote every resource necessary to help with the situation in the Gulf of Mexico where an oil platform exploded and sank. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama was briefed Thursday afternoon by top officials from... more »

• Jindal Releases Statement Regarding Oil Rig Explosion

  April 22, 2010 7:11 PM

  Governor Bobby Jindal released the following statement today regarding the Coast Guard's most recent update on the oil rig explosion south of Venice: "I spoke to Admiral Mary Landry with the U.S. Coast Guard a few hours ago and she said that while rescue efforts are still continuing to look... more »

• Lawsuit Filed Following Rig Explosion

  April 22, 2010 12:39 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A lawsuit is claiming the companies involved in an oil platform explosion off the Louisiana coast were negligent. The lawsuit was filed in New Orleans on Thursday on behalf of a Mississippi man who worked on the rig and is one... more »

• Thursday: Oil Rig Explosion Update

  April 22, 2010 12:19 PM

  PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP) - A Coast Guard helicopter and rescue plane resumed the search Thursday for 11 workers missing after a massive explosion aboard an oil platform off the Louisiana coast. The rig continued to burn as supply vessels shot water into it try... more »

• Search for Missing Will Continue Overnight

  April 21, 2010 10:19 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Coast Guard by sea and air planned to search overnight for 11 workers missing since a thunderous explosion rocked an oil drilling platform that continued to burn late Wednesday, more than a day since it sent a fireball into the ... more »

• Locals On Board Exploding Oil Rig

  April 21, 2010 7:40 PM

  Helicopters and boats continue to search the Gulf of Mexico for any sign of 11 workers missing after an oil rig exploded Tuesday night. The Transocean Ltd rig "Deepwater Horizon" burst into flames about ten o'clock, 52 miles south of Venice, Louisiana. One of the eleven missing is believed to... more »

• Update: Search Continues for 11 Workers Following Oil Rig Explosion

  April 21, 2010 4:44 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An explosion rocked an offshore oil drilling platform, sending a column of fire into the sky and touching off a frantic search at sea Wednesday for 11 missing workers. Most of the 126 workers on the rig Deepwater Horizon escaped safely... more »

• Evacuated Workers Missing After Oil Rig Explosion

  April 21, 2010 6:24 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Coast Guard says at least 11 people are missing and seven hurt after an explosion and fire at an oildrilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana. The rig -- which is still burning -- is owned by Transocean Ltd. of Houston. Spokesman... more »

• Offshore rigs restore production following Ida

  November 10, 2009 2:29 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico are reboarding platforms and rigs and restoring production following Tropical Storm Ida. The Minerals Management Service's Continuity of Operations Plan team is monitoring the operators' activities. This team will be activated until operations return to normal. ... more »