The abandoned oil well off Plaquemines Parish that began leaking after being hit by a boat last week has been brought under control. Well owners Swift Energy said the flow of oil was stanched just after 3 p.m. Thursday. Wild Well Control brought the well under control after a barge carrying specialized equipment arrived. The well was shut down by Houston-based Swift Energy in 2007.

Oil that is leaking from an abandoned wellhead off the coast of Plaquemines Parish is flowing at a rate of about 20 barrels - or 840 gallons - of oil per day, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Wellhead owner Swift Energy deployed a barge to shut in the well, but have yet to stop the flow. Well control operations are expected to begin Thursday morning.

The dome that was leaking oil at the bottom of the Gulf has a new lid. BP capped and plugged the latest oil seepage coming from the site of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster this week. The leak was emanating from the discarded, 40-foot-tall containment dome, which was used in a failed attempt to stanch the Big Oozy. The dome discharge created a sheen at the surface of the Gulf. Underwater robots, or ROVs, descended to the deep on Tuesday to cap the dome's "stove pipe" opening at the top, and plug connection ports on the side of the structure. 

BP thinks the latest Gulf oil is coming from a leaky dome. According to a statement released Thursday afternoon, the sheen discovered above the Deepwater Horizon on Sept. 16 is seeping small globules of oil out of a containment dome that was used in one of the company's many ineffective attempts to cap the Macondo well. The structure is not currently in use, BP said.

by Chase Lowenstein

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that new Deepwater Horizon oil was in the Gulf. An oil sheen, first reported Sept. 16, has been lingering for almost a month now with still no details on size or exact content.

by Chase Lowenstein

The Avondale Shipyard is downsizing, but a new federal score down in Lafourche Parish will keep apporximately 800 jobs in the area. A new appropriation of $250 million in federal money will be funded to Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, according to Sen. Mary Landrieu's office. The shipyard will be building 6 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) for the U.S. Coast Guard in order to ensure security around our naval borders.

by Chase Lowenstein

With the Gulf Coast fully in Hurricane Isaac cleanup mode, the Coast Guard and others have begun to survey pollution left by the storm. At a press conference today to update Isaac recovery, Captain Peter W. Gautier announced there are currently approximately 90 cases of pollution that need to be addressed, 60 of which are actively leaking machines. Some are overturned tanks in Plaquemines Parish that are leaking oil while other machines are leaking airborne and liquid chemicals. 

Isaac overstayed his welcome, but he’s finally cleared out of the Greater New Orleans Area. Mayor Mitch held a press conference today to give a wrap up of the damage, applaud the city’s agencies for their successes, and to warn citizens to stay alert as the city gets back in pre-Isaac shape. Other than a few looting incidents, a handful of fires, and a lot of power outages, the Mayor said he’s impressed with NOLA’s progress.  

It's more than two years since the Deepwater Horizon blew, but the damage it caused is still oozing into local politics. When it comes to cleaning up, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu is telling the Coast Guard they shouldn't be packing up their things and leaving the shore just yet. Landrieu sent a letter to Commandant Robert Papp today requesting that the Coast Guard stay on the Louisiana coast. In the letter, Louisiana's senior senator calls on the Coast Guard to keep monitoring beaches for new oil, clean up submerged tar mats and clean up boom anchors that are getting in boaters' way off the Coast.

Unfortunately, the Blue Angels weren't the only fighter jets that had to be called into airspace above Southeast Louisiana today. A small plane flown by a Slidell doctor crashed into the Gulf around 11:20 a.m. The Cessna 421 took off from Slidell bound for Sarasota this morning. The plane was reported as flying erratically, and the Air Force dispatched a pair of F-15 fighter jets to attempt to make contact with the man WDSU is identifying as Dr. Peter Hertzak, who was alone in the plane.