Oil Spills Into Bayou Outside of Houston, 3rd Spill in a Week
Derrick Broze - Intell Hub
Another large oil spill occurred this week, this time in the Houston Bayou.
For the third time in a week there was an oil spill in the United States. The most recent spill happened 20 miles outside of Houston.
According to a DOW Jones Newswire:
“On April 3, about 700 barrels were found to have leaked from the West Colombia pipeline because of an unknown cause, with up to 60 of those barrels emerging in the bayou, Shell spokeswoman Kim Windon said. The pipeline had been shut down and isolated on March 29 after alarms alerted the company that oil may have leaked from the line. “
The 700 barrels, or roughly 30,000 gallons poured into the Vance Bayou that connects to the Houston Ship Channel The pipeline was owned by a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC. Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Lehman said that the clean up crews from Shell had begun the process of cleaning out the oil from the bayou. The amount of oil spilled has yet to be confirmed.
While the authorities in Houston struggle to determine the size of the latest disaster Arkansas is dealing with their own spill. ExxonMobil’s Pegasus pipeline burst last week spilling thousands of gallons into the small town of Mayflower. By the end of the week 20 homes were evacuated and around 19,000 gallons of oil has been recovered.
This past Tuesday Federal pipeline safety officials issued a corrective action order to ExxonMobil Pipeline Co. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is now preventing the corporation from restarting operations on the ruptured segments until they are satisfied with repairs.
In northern Ontario a train was derailed causing the loss of 400 barrels, or roughly 16,800 gallons of oil. The Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd originally believed only four barrels had been lost. Despite this spill the rail lines were up and running again within a couple days.
These incidents are but a slice of a long history of oil crises. We are likely to see more of these events as the current paradigm of energy marches forward. With the Keystone XL pipeline nearing completion one can surely expect the dangers to increase.
With so many aspects of our lives dependent on the oil industry how can we ever hope to create a culture that does not allow oil spills and the robbing of lnidigenous lands? There has to be a balance between progress and technological advances, and a respect to the planet and its aboriginal roots.
Explore alternative energy sources, and take steps to decrease your dependence on any corporations that currently hold power over your life. Only by removing ourselves from a system that is designed to destroy the planet and blind the mind will we truly become free.
Within the coming days the Houston Free Thinkers will be going to the Vance Bayou for an exclusive Intellihub report on the oil spill in the Houston Ship Channel.
sources:
^http://english.capital.gr/News.asp?id=1767002
^http://globalnews.ca/news/457997/cp-rail-line-reopens-in-ontario-after-spill/
http://intellihub.com/2013/04/06/oil-spills-into-bayou-outside-of-houston-3rd-spill-in-a-week/