Texas company admits to toxic spill in Gulf of Mexico off Grand Isle coast

Source: The Times-Picayune

Texas company admits to toxic spill in Gulf of Mexico off Grand Isle coa
By Greg LaRose, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on December 22, 2015 at 1:26 PM, updated December 22, 2015 at 1:38 PM

Houston oil and gas company will pay $400,000 and serve a two-year probation after admitting Tuesday (Dec. 22) it was responsible for the discharge of hazardous materials in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Grand Isle.

Walter Oil & Gas Co. pleaded guilty to one felony count of failing to provide notification of a hazardous discharge. According to court documents, company workers were attempting to remove a blockage from an underwater pipeline with chemical solvents on March 31, 2014. When those attempts failed, the pipeline was brought to the surface during which a compound of xylene, ammonia chloride, ethylbenzene, and isopropyl alcohol leaked into the water.

When the remediation project resumed the next day, the Walter crew failed to close a connection on the pipeline, and more of the solvent spilled into the Gulf. U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite's office said the amount spilled required Walter to report the incident to the National Response Center, and the company also did not attempt to clean the spilled waste.

Court documents say that 472 pounds of solvent were spilled on March 31, and another 310 pounds were released the next day. Federal standards require any spill of more than 100 pounds of xylene to be reported.


Read more: http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/12/texas_company_admits_to_toxic.html