Also, federal officials sue controversial Arizona sheriff in civil rights investigation, and Hurricane Earl is downgraded but evacuations and warnings continue.
From Los Angeles Times:
Another offshore oil facility caught fire Thursday morning in the Gulf of Mexico, sending 13 workers into the water to be rescued by boat, and sending enough petroleum into the water to create a mile-long by 100 foot wide sheen, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known and is under investigation. It comes a little more than four months after BP's Deepwater Horizon rig blowout, which killed 11 workers and resulted in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The government and BP are still working on completely sealing that well, which has not leaked since mid-July.
"In the wake of the BP catastrophe, this is an extremely disturbing event," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who has led a congressional investigation into the BP spill. "I call on the administration to immediately redouble safety reviews of all offshore drilling and platform operations in the gulf and take all appropriate action to ensure safety and protection of the environment."
» Read the story: Oil rig on fire after explosion off Louisiana
» Oil sheen spreading from Gulf platform explosion [USA Today]
» Mariner Energy may be facing BP-style crisis [msnbc.com]
» Crude Oil Increases After Explosion on Gulf of Mexico Production Platform [Bloomberg]
» Oil settles above $75 a barrel as rig fire casts pall over market [MarketWatch]
In other news:
» U.S. sues controversial Arizona sheriff in civil-rights investigation [Los Angeles Times]
» Republican candidates for 23rd Congressional District spend debate trading jabs [Watertown Daily Times]
» Police believe seized weapons were headed for the streets [Utica Observer-Dispatch]
» Hurricane Earl downgraded to Category 3 , but N.C. evacuations continue [The Washington Post]
» Consumer confidence among Upstate New Yorkers inches up in August [Central New York Business Journal]