Crews working to contain the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana will try burning a part of it today, in an effort to avert a potential ecological disaster if the full slick reaches shore. The oil has been leaking from an underwater pipe since a drilling rig caught fire last week, leaving 11 workers missing and presumed dead. From The New York Times:
Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry noted that the coastal area near the spill contains some 40 percent of the nation’s wetlands and is the spawning ground for countless fish and birds.
Controlled burns have been done and tested before, Admiral Landry said, and had been shown to be “effective in burning 50 to 95 percent of oil collected in a fire boom.” The main disadvantage, she said, was a “black plume” of smoke from the burn that would put soot and other particulate pollutants into the air.
On Tuesday, the heads of the Departments of Interior and Homeland Security announced a joint investigation of the explosion that led to the spill.
