There's still plenty of oil on the ground around New Orleans, thanks to the BP spill. Now there's a new gusher at Mud Lake. (Photo Credit: CC BY dsb nola/Flickr)

The BP oil spill disaster will continue to affect local economies around the Gulf of Mexico for many years, and the environment will require decades of recovery. Now the Associated Press reports that New Orleans is back in the thick of an oil slick thanks to an errant tow boat called the Pere Ana C. The boat is said to have struck a wellhead in Louisiana marshland. Oil is currently shooting 20 feet into the air, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser told MSNBC.

The well is south of New Orleans

The gushing oil well is located in an inland waterway along the border between Plaquemines Parish and Jefferson Parish, approximately 65 miles south of New Orleans. The area is a marsh not accessible via roads. Recovery workers had already been working in nearby Barataria Bay, an ecologically sensitive coastal estuary where waves of oil had entered from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The owner of the newly damaged well is currently unknown. However, according to Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts, the amount of oil gushing out from the Pere Ana C. collision is considerable. A specific estimate has yet to be made, and the specific method of recovery that will be used is also unknown at this time, as the area is only accessible by boat. Some officials are concerned that in addition to oil, natural gas may be leaking, as gas clouds were reported in the area.

Pere Ana C. struck before dawn near Mud Lake

Mud Lake was the approximate location of the Pere Ana C. collision early Tuesday morning. After the accident, the Coast Guard ship was moved to the LaRose area. No injuries resulting from the crash were recorded. Reports from various media sources indicate that local authorities are currently in the process of searching for someone who can go in and stop the new oil spill. It’s unknown whether expense of the cleanup will approach what has already been spent by BP for local cleanup following Deepwater Horizon.

Sources:

Associated Press

MSNBC.com

Remember when BP blocked media access to cleanup workers?

New Orleans has something to smile about this year. The New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl in franchise history, and today, Tuesday, February 16, is Fat Tuesday. For those of you who don’t know, Fat Tuesday is in the truest sense of the word Mardi Gras. Don’t believe me? In French, “Gras” means “fat” and “Mardi means “Tuesday.” And it falls 46 days before Easter. So there you have it. If you need plane tickets, hotel room, costumes, beads and a bit of cache for the local libations, New Orleans’ economy will certainly appreciate your business. If it sets you back a bit, a no fax cash advance can be your backup.

Parties and parades until midnight brings Lent

As a bit of mythological background, the whole thing actually starts on January 6, which is the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany. Three kings and the Christ Child meet, and it all builds until people can’t keep the funk pent up any longer. That’s Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. It’s one of the biggest parties on the North American continent, and many workers in New Orleans get it off. I’m not one of those, so I feel slighted.

Schedule of Fat Tuesday events

Thanks to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, here’s a schedule of major parades and events going down in the Big Easy for Fat Tuesday. Think lots of floats, marchers, dancers, Fat Tuesday goodies and a large krewe accompaniment no matter where your eye roams:

• Zulu parade, 8:15 a.m., Central City to Downtown – beads and coconuts will be flying
• Rex, 10 a.m. (Watch live) – King of Carnival presiding
• Elks Orleanians, post Rex
• Crescent City Mardi Gras, post Elks (Love how specific this is? Just chill out and have fun.) This one is a bit more family oriented

At Metairie:

• Argus, 10 a.m.
• Elks Jeffersonians, after Argus
• Jefferson Mardi Gras, after Elks Jeffersonians

At Westbank:

• Grela, 11 a.m., Gretna
• Bes Mardi Gras, after Grela, Gretna

At Northshore:

• Lions & Covington Mardi Gras, 10 a.m., Covington

Other Regional parades:

• Chahta Mardi Gras, 1 p.m., Lacombe
• Folsom Mardi Gras, 1:30 p.m., Folsom

If you’re reading this, you probably aren’t there

But if you are, hopefully this schedule helps you. If you took out a no fax cash advance to get ready for Fat Tuesday, then be sure to make it on time… how long you stay shall be directly related to your level of merriment and arousal.

Related Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL0Pun9ntjM&feature=fvw