Louisiana

Federal regulators seek record fine over Louisiana offshore oil spill

Published

6 months ago

January 5, 2026

Federal regulators seek record fine over Louisiana offshore oil spill

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The U.S. Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump is seeking a record $9.6 million civil penalty against a pipeline operator over a massive offshore oil spill that sent more than 1 million gallons of crude into waters off Louisiana.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, known as PHMSA, announced the proposed penalty against Panther Operating Company for violations tied to the November 2023 failure of the Main Pass Oil Gathering pipeline system.

PHMSA said the $9,622,054 penalty is the largest civil fine ever proposed in a pipeline safety enforcement action.

Federal investigators concluded the spill released about 1.1 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf after a subsea pipeline connector failed and operators did not shut the system down for hours.

“Safety drives everything we do,” Duffy said in a statement. “When companies fail to abide by the rules, we won’t hesitate to act decisively.”

According to PHMSA, the violations involved failures in integrity management, operations and maintenance, leak detection, emergency response and protections for high-consequence areas.

The agency also proposed a compliance order requiring Panther to overhaul how it evaluates geological and geotechnical risks affecting the pipeline system.

The spill occurred along the 67-mile Main Pass Oil Gathering system, which transports crude oil from offshore production areas south of New Orleans. Oil was first spotted roughly 19 miles off the Mississippi River Delta, near Plaquemines Parish.

Federal investigators later determined the pipeline was not shut down for nearly 13 hours after pressure data first suggested a problem. Regulators said quicker action could have significantly reduced the volume released.

The National Transportation Safety Board said underwater landslides and storm-related seabed movement contributed to the failure and that the operator did not adequately account for known geohazards common in the Gulf.

PHMSA said Panther must now develop a plan to protect the pipeline against future external forces such as seabed instability, erosion and storm impacts. The company has 30 days to respond to the notice of probable violation and proposed penalty.

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Louisiana

Meta’s Louisiana Data Center to Surpass $250 Billion Price Tag

Published

4 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Meta’s Louisiana Data Center to Surpass 0 Billion Price Tag

Meta Platforms Inc. has committed to spending an additional $40 billion on its sprawling data center campus in Louisiana, pushing its total expected investment beyond $250 billion for the site as it continues to grow its artificial intelligence computing footprint.

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Louisiana

DeRidder man found dead in Sabine River

Published

16 hours ago

July 12, 2026

Press Room

NEWTON COUNTY, Texas. (KPLC) – A DeRidder man reported missing was found dead in the Sabine River Sunday morning, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

Newton County Sheriff Colton Havard said Jordan Jamal Allen was located around 7:50 a.m. on July 12 with help from Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens, the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office, and 409 Search and Rescue.

Authorities say the body was recovered not far from where Allen went under Friday night near the U.S. 190 bridge east of Bon Wier at the Texas-Louisiana state line.

The sheriff said that Allen and a woman were said to be wading across the river Friday when the current began pulling the woman.

The sheriff said Allen tried to help her, but went under around 8:45 p.m. and wasn’t seen again. He said the woman made it back to land safely.

We will have more in this story as it develops.

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Louisiana

Check out the Outdoors calendar for fishing events

Published

1 day ago

July 12, 2026

Press Room

Check out the Outdoors calendar for fishing events

MONDAY

RED STICK FLY FISHERS PROGRAM: 7 p.m., Bluebonnet Regional Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@gmail.com. Website: rsff.org

WEDNESDAY

FLIES & FLIGHTS: 7-9 p.m, Rally Cap Brewing, 11212 Pennywood Ave., Baton Rouge. Casual fly tying. Open to public. Email Chris Williams: thefatfingeredflytyer@gmail.com

THURSDAY

ACADIANA FLY RODDERS PROGRAM: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Open to public. Email Darin Lee: at cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: acadianaflyrodders.org

FRIENDS OF NRA/SOUTHWEST LA BANQUET: 6 p.m., Riverside Bar & Grill, 3748 Louisiana 3059, Lake Charles. Call Brack Cole 337-912-1620. Email: jbcoleair@yahoo.com

ONGOING

STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT & ANGLERS RODEO/S.T.A.R.: Through Sept. 7, Coastal Conservation Association’s summer-long fishing event. Tagged redfish, coastal/offshore species categories & youth division. CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com/star

LOTTERY HUNTS

DOVE/TEAL: July 27 application deadline for dove hunt on Elbow Slough Wildlife Management Area and teal hunt on White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area. Website applications only on Wildlife & Fisheries/Louisiana Outdoors License, Permits and Tags webpage. Fee $8.50. Details: dove hunt, David Hayden at dhayden@wlf.la.gov; teal hunt, Lance Ardoin at lardoin@wlf.la.gov

AROUND THE CORNER

JULY 21 — LAFAYETTE KAYAK FISHING CLUB MEETING: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Call 337-232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakfishing.com

JULY 21-22 — GULF COUNCIL SHRIMP COMMITTEE MEETING: Gulf Council office, 4107 W. Spruce St., Tampa, Florida. In conjunction with Scientific and Statistical committees. Website: gulfcouncil.org

JULY 23 — ACADIANA BUGS & BREWS: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Casual fly tying and local beers provided. Open to the public. Email Darin Lee: cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: packpaddle.com

JULY 23-25 — International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, Grand Isle Marina & Otto Candies Pavilion, Grand Isle. Website: tarponrodeo.org

JULY 24-25—BASSMASTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Kentucky Lake, Paris, Tennessee. Website: bassmaster.com

JULY 26 — SOUTH LOUISIANA HIGHPOWER CLUB MATCH: 8:30 a.m., Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Range, St. Landry Road, Gonzales. NRA XTC & F-Class match rifle or service rifle, 200-yard/50-rounds match course. Fee $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 juniors. $25 annual club (first match free) and Civilian Marksmanship Program membership (allows purchases from CMP). Call Mike Burke, 337-380-8120. Email: SouthLAHighPower@hotmail.com

FISHING/SHRIMPING

SHRIMP: Spring inshore season closed except for Breton/Chandeleur sounds; all outside waters open.

OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Private recreational red snapper; gray triggerfish; flounder; lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers and wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath and Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.

CLOSED SEASONS: Greater amberjack; bluefin tuna; gag, goliath and Nassau groupers in state/federal waters. Commercial greater amberjack season closed.