Articles by Matthew Brown and Janet McConnaughey

Pipeline’s Safeguards Malfunctioned in Louisiana Diesel Spill

A corroded pipeline that ruptured and spilled 350,000 gallons (1.6 million liters) of diesel fuel into a New Orleans area wetland did not have a fully functioning leak detection system at the time, according to federal records, which also show …

Ruptured Pipeline Spills 300,000 Gallons of Diesel Near New Orleans

A severely corroded pipeline ruptured and spilled more than 300,000 gallons (1 million liters) of diesel fuel just outside New Orleans, according to federal records. The spill from the 16-inch (40-centimeter) diameter line operated by Collins Pipeline Co. was discovered …

Ship Master Spent 50 Hours Sleepless Before Crash off Louisiana

An oil tanker hit an offshore oil platform at night off Louisiana because its Turkish operating company didn’t give the ship’s master time to recover from days of sleepless travel, federal investigators have found. The master, or person in charge …

NTSB: Louisiana Boat’s Engine Room-Only Fuel Shutoff Valves Let Fire Spread

Fuel shutoff valves outside the engine room might have stopped a fire that destroyed a shrimp boat after an explosion off Louisiana last year, federal investigators say. Other shrimpers saw the smoke and rescued all four people from the Master …

Louisiana Health System Sued Over Vaccine Mandate

A small number of employees of Louisiana’s largest health system are suing to block a requirement that they get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to keep their jobs. The lawsuits filed in Louisiana state district courts challenge Ochsner Health’s mandate …

Louisiana Firestone Plant to Pay $4M to Settle Pollution Charges

A major manufacturer of synthetic rubber, Firestone Polymers LLC, has agreed to pay $4 million in fines and an environmental project and make numerous improvements to settle a long list of state and federal air pollution complaints at its plant …

NTSB: Poor Communication Led to Fatal Towboat Crash in Louisiana

A fatal head-on crash between barges pushed by two towboats in Louisiana was caused by inadequate communication and failure to broadcast their total sizes, the National Transportation Safety Board says. The RC Creppel overturned and sank after the collision with …

Lawsuit: Ida Power Outages in Louisiana Due to ‘Gum and Super Glue’ at Utility

A lawsuit alleges that Louisiana’s largest electric utility used a “bubble gum and super glue” approach to maintenance and construction that left customers sweltering in the dark without adequate sewage treatment after Hurricane Ida. The suit was filed against Entergy …

NTSB: Bridge Crew at Fault in Anchored Ship’s Costly New Orleans-Area Crash

The bridge crew’s lack of attention to a cargo ship’s position let it drag anchor and hit another anchored ship and a dock last year, doing millions of dollars in damage, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. “Monitoring …

Prosecutors in Louisiana Reach $2M Settlement with Exonerated Man

Local prosecutors have reached a $2 million settlement with a New Orleans man who spent 23 years in prison before being cleared on charges including rape and manslaughter. “I welcome this measure of justice after so many years,” Robert Jones, …