Brine of the Times

Louisiana will crack down on oil industry waste-disposal practices

Posted at 10:56 AM on 05 Nov 2007

Oil companies accustomed to a hodgepodge of regulation will soon see stricter oversight from a new initiative in Louisiana, which will pool the resources of 15 state and federal offices to crack down on Big Oil's waste-disposal practices. The program will train some 100 field officers to identify oil and brine-water spills in the Gulf of Mexico and collect evidence potentially usable in lawsuits. The initiative's organizers believe most oil companies are following cleanup guidelines, but a little extra oversight never hurts. Says Harold Leggett of the state Department of Environmental Quality, "When everyone knows the referee is watching, the game is played on a very level playing field."

source: Houston Chronicle

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	Read more about: Big Oil \| Louisiana \| news \| politics \| regulation \| state politics \| all of these topics Tools: print \| email \| write to the editor \| subscribe \| RSS Share: digg \| hugg \| stumbleupon \| reddit \| newsvine \| fark \| facebook Bookmark: del.icio.us \| google \| yahoo Brine of the Times Louisiana will crack down on oil industry waste-disposal practices Posted at 10:56 AM on 05 Nov 2007 Oil companies accustomed to a hodgepodge of regulation will soon see stricter oversight from a new initiative in Louisiana, which will pool the resources of 15 state and federal offices to crack down on Big Oil's waste-disposal practices. The program will train some 100 field officers to identify oil and brine-water spills in the Gulf of Mexico and collect evidence potentially usable in lawsuits. The initiative's organizers believe most oil companies are following cleanup guidelines, but a little extra oversight never hurts. Says Harold Leggett of the state Department of Environmental Quality, "When everyone knows the referee is watching, the game is played on a very level playing field." source: Houston Chronicle ADVERTISING POLICY < Previous \| Next > Comments: There are no comments. Be the first to post! You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five. Username: Password: Forgot your password? Enter your username and click: The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?	Also in Grist Take a Page Out of My Book What the leaders of the green movement are reading. Good Home Cooking A bean soup recipe, and how one author coped with a finicky family. Cover the Waterfront A list of green books you can actually read at the beach. The Saga of Fume Do bikers breathe in more pollutants than drivers? Umbra advises. The Week's Most Popular Viewed Commented Emailed 15 green books you can actually read at the beach An interview with author James Howard Kunstler How the organic movement can regain its relevance Ask Umbra on exerting yourself in traffic More than half of today's electricity, more than 16 percent of today's energy McCain just not that into Amtrak BLM reverses stance on solar-project moratorium Lester Brown unveils plan for 80 percent cuts by 2020 Only if you flagrantly cherry pick 15 green books you can actually read at the beach How the organic movement can regain its relevance 'Dell of solar' seeks to make it cheap and user-friendly to get rooftop PV Home Depot will collect CFLs for recycling Food Network star Alton Brown adds a pinch of sustainability to the pot From the Archives Action Pact. Public hits the streets to rally for global-warming action. What Is This Feeling We're Feeling? U.S. mayors hit Seattle to plot climate strategy and get a dose of hope. Time Warped. Whether Daylight Savings Time saves energy or not, don't forget to turn your clocks back. News Archives