Bayou officials fear giant sinkhole pipeline explosion, stop providing data

Bayou officials fear giant sinkhole pipeline explosion, stop providing data by Deborah Dupre, August 4, 2012, examiner.com
“I don’t believe a word they say about the environmental or human health risk of this mounting disaster,” New Orleans-based environmental attorney Stuart Smith stated Saturday, August 4, 2012. Officials say that the massive methane-leaking sinkhole in South Louisiana bayou country near the Gulf of Mexico causing mandatory evacuation of 150 families, has also caused a 36-inch natural gas pipeline under Highway 70 to bend, so they are closing the highway due to the explosion risk but they have stopped providing monitoring data to the public on the event website. … Friday, a caller to LABB reported “bubbling in the bayou that appears that the swamp is turning inside out” and there was a “strong smell of burnt diesel fuel in the air.” The agency tasked with protecting the public from environmental hazards, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has reversed its stand on continuing to provide its monitoring data of the Louisiana’s near Gulf Coast bayou area where gasses are bubbling and tremors shook houses Thursday. … If readers question official advisories about this escalating disaster in Cajun swampland, they are not alone. … “Due to the fact that the monitors haven’t showed any changes, data will no longer be posted on this site.” Industry reports of the area posted on that site include: Acadian Analysis, Chevron Analysis,  Crosstex Analysis, Gulf South Analysis
Reports from Arcadis U.S., Inc..
• Gas Plot #1 Fingerprint, This plot is generic to show the regions of thermogenic versus microbial gas by comparing the carbon and hydrogen isotopes of methane
• Gas Plot #2 Fingerprint, This plot is actual data from the 2003 event in Grand Bayou, plotting the same isotopes showing Gulf South as Well #13 and Well #14 points.
Isotech Gas Comparison”
“I am sure this industry told the regulators and the public that these operations were perfectly safe,” Smith said. “This is the same storyline that BP used for its Gulf of Mexico operations and the frackers are using today,” he remarked. “The State of Louisiana approved these operations, negligently monitored them, and is now expected to be truthful about it. Fat Chance with the lawsuit bulls eye squarely on the Jindal administration.”

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