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• Well Blow out North of Intracoastal City

  July 18, 2012 6:42 AM

  There is an explosion just North of Intercoastal City caused by a well blowout of an underground natural gas pipeline. A representative with the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's office says they are in the process of evacuating a 1/2 mile radius around the area. It is a lightly populated area. Highway... more »

• Group Threatens to Sue Over Seepage at Well Site

  October 15, 2011 3:54 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An environmental group is threatening to sue over seepage from a Gulf of Mexico oil well that was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, but first officials must determine who owns the well. At issue is seepage at the lease site about 11 miles off the... more »

• New Iberia Company Cited For Safety Violations Following Worker's Death

  August 25, 2011 12:05 AM

  Estis Well Service LLC, of New Iberia is disputing various safety violations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), following the death of an employee back in March. 30 year old Skye Sonnier was killed while working on a barge in Iberville Parish, when... more »

• Many Evacuees Still Unable to Return Home

  April 27, 2011 11:22 PM

  Crews were able to stop the natural gas well from spewing Wednesday afternoon, but as of Wednesday night the rig is still considered insecure and that means it's not safe for some families to return home. The American Red Cross reported roughly 970 people checked in Wednesday as evacuees... more »

• Neighbors Shaken by Deadly Gas Well Explosion

  April 1, 2011 12:45 AM

  The deadly Hilcorp Energy Company gas well explosion Thursday afternoon rocked the small neighborhood that sits right behind the well site. For many residents, the accident hit a little too close to home. "Well I was at work and I saw the cops and the sirens and I saw... more »

• Scientists find dead, dying corals near BP well

  November 4, 2010 9:37 PM

  PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Federal scientists say they have found damage to deep sea corals and other marine life several miles from where BP's blown-out well spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration along with Penn State University... more »

• Birds Along LA's Shores Doing Surprisingly Well After Oil Spill

  October 13, 2010 5:31 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The National Audubon Society says it has surveyed bird populations along Louisiana's oil-tainted shores and found them doing surprisingly well nearly six months after the BP oil spill. But the bird society also cautioned that oil continues to ooze out of the ground in many... more »

• BP Working to Estimate Amount of Oil Spewed From Well

  September 24, 2010 5:27 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Oil giant BP is working behind the scenes to formulate its own estimate for how much crude spewed from its well in the Gulf of Mexico, as it prepares for a potential legal fight with the U.S. government over fines. The company has carefully avoided accepting... more »

• Crews Started Pumping Cement into Blown-Out Well

  September 17, 2010 3:54 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Crews started pumping cement Friday deep under the seafloor to permanently plug BP's blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. A BP spokesman said there no longer was a need to use mud in tandem with the cement because pressure from the well wasn't an issue.... more »

• BP Well Permanently Sealed and Declared Dead by Sunday

  September 15, 2010 12:06 PM

  KENNER, La. (AP) - The U.S. government's point person on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill says the well that blew out is expected to be permanently sealed and declared dead by Sunday, nearly five months after a rig explosion set off the disaster. National Incident Commander Thad Allen told... more »

• Section of La. 70 reopens after well blowout

  August 30, 2010 9:28 PM

  PAINCOURTVILLE, La. (AP) - A section of La. Highway 70 closed for nearly three weeks because of an oil and gas well blowout in Assumption Parish has been reopened to traffic. The Mantle Oil and Gas LLC well blew Aug. 11 and forced authorities to shut down La. 70 between... more »

• La. HWY 70 Reopens After Oil and Gas Well Blowout

  August 30, 2010 12:40 PM

  PAINCOURTVILLE, La. (AP) - A section of La. Highway 70 closed for nearly three weeks because of an oil and gas well blowout in Assumption Parish has been reopened to traffic. The Mantle Oil and Gas LLC well blew Aug. 11 and forced authorities to shut down La. 70 between... more »

• Feds to remove temporary cap from Gulf well

  August 27, 2010 9:31 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The federal government said engineers will start work Monday to remove the temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing out of BP's blown-out Gulf well so that crews can raise a key piece of equipment from the seabed. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's... more »

• BP exec avoids question on relief well completion

  August 26, 2010 9:26 PM

  HOUSTON (AP) - BP officials testifying during a hearing in Houston were unwilling or unable to provide a clear picture of the company's heirarchy or say who was in charge of the rig leased by the oil giant the day it blew up. Federal investigators became visibly annoyed Thursday, with... more »

• Could take 6 weeks to cap Assumption well

  August 19, 2010 9:40 PM

  PAINCOURTVILLE, La. (AP) - State police say a well control crew has given up trying for a controlled burn at a wild well in Assumption Parish, and drilling a relief well could take three to six weeks. Trooper Bryan Zeringue says La. 70 will remain closed from La. 1 and... more »

• Final Plugging of Well Will Begin After Labor Day

  August 19, 2010 10:59 AM

  WASHINGTON — BP aims to permanently seal the ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well in the second week of September, a US official said Thursday, as pressure concerns further delayed final "bottom kill" operations. "We should be looking somewhere in the week after Labor Day," US spill chief Thad... more »

• Thad Allen Will No Longer Give Timeline Plugging Well

  August 18, 2010 4:01 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The government's point man on the Gulf oil spill said Wednesday he is no longer giving a timeline for completing the final stages of plugging BP's runaway well. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen told reporters that he will give the order to complete the so-called... more »

• Decision Expected on Plug for BP's Broken Oil Well

  August 13, 2010 6:38 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Officials could know by early Friday if BP's broken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has been sealed for good. An analysis of tests on the well done Thursday was scheduled to be completed within 24 hours, letting the federal government and BP PLC know... more »

• Test Are Under Way to Determine Well has Been Plugged

  August 12, 2010 6:01 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Tests are under way to determine whether BP's broken well in the Gulf of Mexico has already been plugged for good. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration's point man on the spill, says the tests should be finished and analyzed by early Friday.... more »

• Road to be Closed for Days Due to an Oil Well Blowout

  August 11, 2010 12:06 PM

  Both lanes on Highway 70 in Assumption Parish will be closed for several days between Highway 996 and Highway 1 due to an oil well blowout. It happened between 3:30 and 4 a.m. Wednesday morning near Paincourtville. Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack says there are no evacuations. more »

• Storms delay drilling for final BP well plug

  August 10, 2010 8:56 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Approaching storms forced crews to suspend drilling the final stretch of a relief well aimed at shooting a permanent underground plug into BP's busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, the government's point man for the disaster said Tuesday. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen... more »

• BP Suspending Drilling on Well Until Storm Passes

  August 10, 2010 12:09 PM

  The government's point man for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico says crews drilling a relief well to permanently stop the oil will suspend their work until storms pass. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says the suspension could delay completion of the relief well by two or... more »

• Weather Could be a Hurdle for Crews Working on Well

  August 10, 2010 11:27 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Crews finishing work meant to forever stop oil from leaking from a blown-out undersea well into the Gulf may have one more hurdle to overcome: the weather. The National Hurricane Center is watching a cluster of thunderstorms in the far eastern Gulf of Mexico that forecasters... more »

• BP Plans to Continue Relief Well Work This Week

  August 9, 2010 9:03 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The oil that poured into the Gulf for more than 12 weeks has been forced back underground and BP engineers expect to spend this week drilling the final leg of a relief well to complete the "bottom kill" designed to permanently seal the leaking well. BP... more »

• BP Plans To Use Relief Well To Shove Mud And Then Cement

  August 6, 2010 11:50 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP is confirming that it plans to use a relief well to shove mud and then cement into the underground reservoir feeding the blown-out Gulf of Mexico well. Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said Friday that crews still "plan to move forward with the bottom kill"... more »

• Final Plug Nears After Crews Cement Oil Well's Top

  August 6, 2010 8:45 AM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - Crews moved closer to a final seal on BP's blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico after pumping fresh cement into the top of the well to hold down mud that is stopping the seafloor gusher. Engineers poured in cement Thursday to... more »

• BP finishes pumping cement into blown-out well

  August 5, 2010 9:40 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP finished pumping fresh cement into its blown-out oil well Thursday as it aimed to seal for good the ruptured pipe that for months spewed crude into the Gulf of Mexico in one of the world's worst spills. A day before, crews forced a slow torrent... more »

• BP says it has finished plugging blown-out well with cement

  August 5, 2010 4:48 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says engineers have finished plugging the blown-out Gulf of Mexico well with cement in their effort to permanently seal it. The company said Thursday that its engineers finished pumping cement into the deep-sea well at 2:15 Central time. On Wednesday they pumped enough mud into... more »

• BP Has Started to Pump Cement Down the Throat of the Well

  August 5, 2010 10:53 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says it has started to pump cement down the throat of the blown-out Gulf of Mexico well in hopes of sealing it for good. The company said Thursday it started to shove cement down the well at 9:15 Central time from pipes attached to ships... more »

• Leaks Have Sprung Near The Blown-Out Well

  August 2, 2010 3:25 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The government's point man on the Gulf oil spill says several minor leaks have sprung near the blown-out well. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Monday that engineers are working to repair the leaks and that they will not delay the effort to plug the... more »

• Oil Leak from Well in Jefferson Parish Capped

  August 2, 2010 7:04 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Coast Guard says a leak from an abandoned oil well on Bayou St. Denis in southern Jefferson Parish has been capped. Capt. John Arenstam says the leak was capped shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday. A barge struck the long abandoned well on July 27. Oil... more »

• Debris Found In The Bottom Of The Relief Well Will Delay Effort

  July 30, 2010 1:19 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The government's point man for the Gulf oil spill says there's been a delay in a procedure that will help stop the gusher for good. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Friday that debris was found in the bottom of the relief well that must be... more »

• Preparation To Plug Well This Weekend

  July 29, 2010 3:34 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Preparations for step one of a two-step attempt to plug the Gulf oil gusher are going well and it could start by the weekend, the government's point man for the spill response said Thursday. The so-called static kill is intended to make the job of plugging... more »

• UPDATE- Towing Vessel Hit LA Oil Well Near Barataria Bay

  July 27, 2010 3:11 PM

  UPDATE: NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Oil and gas leaked Tuesday from a damaged well on a waterway north of a bay where officials have been fighting the spill from the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard said the tow boat Pere Ana C. struck the wellhead... more »

• Towing Vessel Hit LA Oil Well Near Barataria Bay

  July 27, 2010 10:47 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Coast Guard says a towing vessel hit an oil well early Tuesday in a waterway north of Barataria Bay in south Louisiana and there are reports of oil spewing from the damaged wellhead. Jefferson Parish Council member Chris Roberts says oil is spewing from the... more »

• Ships Ready to Leave Leaky Well as Storm Brews

  July 22, 2010 7:15 AM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - Crew members aboard dozens of ships in the Gulf of Mexico prepared Thursday to evacuate as a tropical rainstorm brewing in the Caribbean brought the deep-sea effort to plug BP's ruptured oil well to a near standstill. Though the rough weather was hundreds... more »

• Relief Tunnel Should Finally Reach BP's Well By The Weekend

  July 21, 2010 11:42 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The federal government's spill chief said a relief tunnel should finally reach BP's broken Gulf of Mexico well by the weekend, meaning the three-month-old gusher could be snuffed for good within two weeks. After several days of concern about the well's stability and the leaky cap... more »

• Spill Chief Considering Whether To Pump Mud And Cement Through Well Cap

  July 20, 2010 5:28 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government's spill chief is considering whether to pump heavy mud and cement through BP's experimental well cap that's keeping oil from the Gulf of Mexico. Retired U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says Tuesday that the procedure would make it easier to complete the permanent... more »

• Seepage detected two miles from BP's oil cap is coming from another well.

  July 20, 2010 4:17 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government's oil spill chief says seepage detected two miles from BP's oil cap is coming from another well. There are two wells within two miles of BP's blowout, one that has been abandoned and another that is not in production. There around 27,000 abandoned wells... more »

• "Leaks in capped well seems to be just drips"

  July 20, 2010 4:06 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Obama spill chief says 5 leaks in, around Gulf gusher more like 'drips,' says well is stable. more »

• Oil Well Is Leaking At The Top

  July 19, 2010 3:19 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - A White House spokesman says BP's ruptured oil well is leaking at the top, along with seepage about two miles away. Robert Gibbs also says officials are monitoring bubbles that can be seen on an underwater camera. Leaks could mean the cap on the well has to... more »

• Well Cap's Trial Ends With No Word on What's Next

  July 17, 2010 3:43 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP's 48-hour trial run of a cap blocking oil from streaming into the Gulf of Mexico ended Saturday with no word on what happens next. BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said the company would communicate if the trial was stopped. With no word as 3:25 p.m. EDT... more »

• BP is Encouraged by Early Results From Gulf Well

  July 16, 2010 9:20 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP was encouraged early Friday by results from an experimental cap shutting in oil from its busted Gulf of Mexico well, saying everything was holding steady 17 hours into the effort. BP vice president Kent Wells said on a conference call that there was no evidence... more »

• Admiral Thad Allen Comments on Capped Well

  July 15, 2010 6:29 PM

  Admiral Thad Allen, National Incident Commander: "We're encouraged by this development, but this isn't over. Over the next several hours we will continue to collect data and work with the federal science team to analyze this information and perform additional seismic mapping runs in the hopes of gaining a better... more »

• Mary L. Landrieu Statement on Capping of Oil Well

  July 15, 2010 6:26 PM

  United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today made the following statement upon learning that BP's new cap has stopped all oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. Sen. Landrieu said: "The reports that BP's new cap has stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf is the first piece... more »

• Charlie Melancon Statement On Capped Well

  July 15, 2010 5:50 PM

  Today, U.S. Congressman Charlie Melancon (LA-03) made the following statement in response to reports from BP that the oil leak in the Gulf has been stopped for the first time since April: "I am cautiously hopeful that BP has finally stopped the oil from gushing into our Gulf. If the... more »

• BP says Relief Well on Hold for Test of New Cap

  July 14, 2010 10:10 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says it temporarily halted drilling on a relief well meant to permanently plug its Gulf of Mexico oil leak while it prepares to test a temporary cap on the well. Kent Wells, a senior vice president in the company, said at a Wednesday morning news... more »

• BP To Put On New Cap On Well

  July 12, 2010 10:44 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP expected to attach a tight, new cap Monday on its busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, putting the oil giant a few tantalizing steps closer to knowing whether the fix will be enough to finally stop crude from gushing into the Gulf. The... more »

• Cap on Gushing Well Removed, Oil Flows Freely

  July 10, 2010 3:17 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Robotic submarines removed the cap from the gushing well in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, beginning a period of at least two days when oil will flow freely into the sea. It's the first step in placing a tighter dome that is supposed to funnel... more »

• Transferring Oil From Broken Well an Option for BP

  July 9, 2010 9:13 AM

  THEODORE, Ala. (AP) -- The first of two relief wells being drilled to stop the Gulf oil gusher could be done by the end of the month, BP officials say, but if that doesn't succeed, one backup being considered is transferring the crude to non-producing underwater wells that are miles... more »

• BP Is Moving Extremely Cautiously With Relief Well

  June 28, 2010 11:31 AM

  HOUSTON (AP) - BP says the rig drilling the relief well that's the best hope of stopping the Gulf oil spill has made it within about 20 feet horizontally of the blown-out well that's gushing crude. BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells said Monday that the rig is going to... more »

• Mid-August Completion Of Relief Well

  June 25, 2010 12:46 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says it's on target for mid-August completion of a relief well, the best hope of stopping the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. BP spokesman Bill Salvin says the crew drilling the first of two wells ran a procedure called a ranging run this... more »

• Fed Report Confirms Underwater Oil Cloud Near Well

  June 23, 2010 8:13 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal report confirms what independent scientists have been saying for weeks about the Gulf oil spill: Undersea oil plumes extend for miles from the ruptured well. The report may help measure the effectiveness of spreading chemicals to break up the oil. Government researchers released a... more »

• Rig drilling relief well ahead of schedule

  June 17, 2010 11:31 AM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A rig drilling a relief well meant to stanch a gushing flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico is ahead of schedule and could reach its target over the next three to four weeks. That's according to Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen. He said Thursday... more »

• Feds Approve New Gulf Oil Well Off LA

  June 2, 2010 11:42 PM

  Federal regulators approved Wednesday the first new Gulf of Mexico oil well since President Barack Obama lifted a brief ban on drilling in shallow water, even while deepwater projects remain frozen after the massive BP spill. The Minerals Management Service granted a new drilling permit sought by Bandon Oil and... more »

• BP Will Not Produce Oil From Blown-Out Well

  May 17, 2010 3:57 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says it will never again try to produce oil through a blown-out well that's been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly a month. The oil has been leaking since an offshore drilling rig exploded and sank off the coast of Louisiana last month.... more »

• Second Oil Containment Box On Blown-Out Well

  May 11, 2010 5:03 PM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - A BP spokesman says a second, smaller oil containment box known as a "top hat" is being brought to the site of a blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. Spokesman Bill Salvin tells The Associated Press the box will be lowered to... more »

• Giant Box Close to Being Over Oil-Spewing Well

  May 7, 2010 9:55 AM

  ON THE GULF OF MEXICO- A mission to the bottom of the sea to try to avert a wider environmental disaster progressed early Friday as crews said a 100-ton concrete-and-steel box was close to being placed over a blown-out well on the Gulf floor in an unprecedented attempt to capture... more »

• 42 Families Out of Homes Because of Gas Well

  April 28, 2010 2:00 AM

  SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - About 42 Caddo Parish families are still out of their houses while work continues at a natural gas well where pressure rose to a dangerous level more than a week ago. Authorities tell The Times of Shreveport that it will be at least another day before... more »

• BP Drilling Later This Week to Relieve Pressure Off Blown-Out Well

  April 27, 2010 2:22 PM

  NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP says crews will begin drilling later this week to try and take the pressure off of a blown-out well spewing 42,000 gallons of crude oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. BP was leasing the Deepwater Horizon, the offshore oil rig that exploded last... more »