A barge spilled 168,000 gallons of heavy oil after colliding with a ship in Galveston Bay outside of Texas City on March 22, just two days shy of the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez, 11 million gallon oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
"The barge was carrying about 924,000 gallons of bunker oil, according to a report from the U.S. Coast Guard," write Wes Swift, T.J. Aulds, and Kevin M. Cox on the Saturday spill near the Texas City Dike that shut down the busy Houston Ship Channel, thus "delaying shipping traffic in and out of the Port of Galveston," the seventh largest in the country.
Bunker oil or bunker fuel is a heavy crude and highly polluting oil that also is referred to bottom of the barrel oil. Coast Guard Capt. Brian Penoyer said the oil does not evaporate quickly and the cleanup would take several days.
“This is an extremely serious spill,” he said. “This is a persistent oil. It’s a large quantity. It will spread. People should be aware of that.”
The spill occurred in the vicinity of important shorebird habitat, including the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, writes Associated Press. "The timing really couldn't be much worse since we're approaching the peak shorebird migration season," said Richard Gibbons, the conservation director of the Houston Audubon Society.
"Twenty-five years ago on March 24, (1989) the oil tanker Exxon Valdez slammed into Bligh Reef and spilled more than 11 million gallons of crude oil into the cold, clear waters of Alaska's Prince William Sound -- one of the "last best places" on Earth," reports Marybeth Holleman in CNN News on the oil spill that hasn't ended.
ABC news reports that the oil from the Galveston Bay spill has "been detected 12 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico as of Sunday afternoon," which brings up another oil spill, America's largest. On April 22, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded, resulting in a spill, also known as the BP Oil Spill, of an estimated 206 million gallons into the Gulf of Mexico.
The spill resulted in a ban on new oil and gas leases for BP. On March 19, the ban was lifted and "the company took full advantage of the opportunity," ports Stanley Reed in The New York Times. It was the "the high bidder on 24 exploration blocks."
FULL STORY: Dike, ports closed after barge collides with ship
Why Texas's $29 Billion Coastal Protection Plan Is Needed
The Houston Chronicle editorial board argues for the construction of the so-called 'Ike Dike,' but warns that more investment is needed to protect the South Texas coast from future storms.
Exxon Wants 'Financial Incentive' for $100 Billion Carbon Capture Hub
The company's proposed $100 billion carbon capture project would require a "large-scale" public-private partnership and could capture up to 100 million tons of carbon per year.
Houston's Latest Stormwater Project: 'Massive, Underground Tunnels'
The most recent post-Harvey proposal would mean the city could endure enormous rain events, but so far it's not clear who would pay for it.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Colorado Bill Would Tie Transportation Funding to TOD
The proposed law would require cities to meet certain housing targets near transit or risk losing access to a key state highway fund.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
