Gulf of Mexico News

Charges Filed After Fire at Texas Petrochemical Facility

HOUSTON — Water pollution charges were filed Monday against a company that owns a Houston-area petrochemical storage facility where a large fire that burned for days in March caused chemicals to flow into a nearby waterway. The Harris County District …

Gulf Platform Owner Sued Over Deadly 2012 Blast

A Filipino worker who was severely burned in a deadly explosion on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico last year is suing the platform’s owner and operator. Lawyers for Renato Dominguez, 53, filed the suit against Houston-based Black …

Jury Finds BP Negligent in Texas Emissions Event

BP was negligent and responsible for a 41-day emissions event in 2010 at its Texas City refinery, but there isn’t enough evidence linking the pollution to illnesses, a Galveston jury found Thursday. BP PLC has said that 500,000 pounds of …

Hurricane-Proof Church Unbowed on Gulf Coast

God is a mighty fortress, the old hymn goes, and the same could be said for Romar Beach Baptist Church. With concrete walls more than a foot thick and pilings driven deep into bedrock, the waterfront church just yards from …

Karen Forms Over Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Storm Karen, the 11th named storm of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, has formed over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest bulletin. Karen is packing maximum sustained winds near 60 miles …

New Flood Insurance Rates Spark Anxiety in Gulf

When Colin and Joyce Elston bought their Florida dream home in May, they were confident they could afford the three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch with a pool and a backyard overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Now they are not so sure. The retirees …

Rebel Claimants in BP Spill Settlement Get Expedited Hearing

A U.S. appeals court will hold an expedited hearing for a small group of claimants in a Gulf spill settlement with BP Plc, with oral arguments set for the week of Nov. 4, the court said on Friday. BP’s settlement …

Potential Atlantic Systems Probably Won’t Become Storms Soon

Three potential tropical systems stretch across the Atlantic from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to Africa’s west coast, though none is expected to become a major threat this week, forecasters said. The westernmost of the three, over the Yucatan, has a 20 …

Report: Unsafe Welding Led to Fatal Gulf Accident

A report for a Texas-based company says a deadly 2012 explosion on its Gulf of Mexico oil platform off the Louisiana coast happened when workers for a subcontractor used unsafe welding practices. The report released Wednesday was done by ABSG …

Caribbean Wave Crosses Yucatan as Tropical Storm Heads West

A Caribbean disturbance with the potential to disrupt Gulf of Mexico energy operations crossed the Yucatan Peninsula today as Tropical Storm Erin moved westward across the Atlantic. Erin, 430 miles (695 kilometers) west of the Cape Verde Islands, headed west-northwest …