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Unknown Amount of Crude Oil Spills into Major Waterway

Following Saturday barge accident, 65-mile stretch of Mississippi River remains closed to traffic

The spill of unknown amounts of crude oil into the Mississippi River has kept a sixty-five mile stretch of the waterway closed for over two days after a oil barge collided with a towboat between Baton Rouge and New Orleans Saturday.

Following the crash, officials reported a "light sheen" on the river surface and halted traffic "to avoid contaminating passing vessels and to prevent oil from spreading downriver," AP reports.

Public drinking water intakes in nearby St. Charles Parish were also closed as a precaution, though officials said the water supply "remains safe."

According to Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Bill Colclough, authorities held a Monday morning conference call to discuss estimates of how much oil has spilled and when the river would re-open to traffic.

This is the third major oil spill in six years to shut down the waterway.

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An Unconstitutional Rampage


Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next.

It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk.

Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.