Secret Sinkhole

January 12, 2013

7433332_f520In an age of re-occurring extreme weather, odd natural phenomenon and other assorted nefarious events, strange this situation has gone nearly un-reported by the MSM: The growing sinkhole is 1,200 feet south of La. 70 South between Grand Bayou and Bayou Corne. Current estimates have the sinkhole, believed to have been caused by a failed Texas Brine Co. LLC cavern in the Napoleonville Dome, about 640 feet across from north to south and 690 feet across from east to west.
Experts think the sinkhole could ultimately cover the equivalent of more than 30 football fields, or about 40 acres.

(Illustration found here).

No mention of the story could be found at all the major daily-sites — NYT, LAT, etc. — and I heard about it myself from a customer at the liquor store I manage.
Surprise, surprise.
Some information was discovered at DC Bureau as part of a story last week of another sinkhole in New York state, which has troubles of its own.
On the Louisiana situation:

The nation’s most recent salt cavern storage crisis began unfolding in August 2012 when a giant sinkhole in a Louisiana brine field began swallowing earth and trees.
It has been growing ever since, and tremors have been common.
The sinkhole is only about 200 feet away from a plugged and abandoned salt cavern and about 1,500 feet from a salt cavern that holds nearly 1 million barrels of liquid butane.
Fearing a potentially massive explosion, officials have ordered the evacuation of 150 residences in the lightly populated area.

Although Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ordered the evacuation, not much else has been done to remedy the ongoing disaster: Although the salt dome slurry area has increased four fold, the mandatory evacuation area has not, despite public outcry for the governor to expand the evacuation zone. The Louisiana governor has yet to make a public appearance at the 6-month disaster area. Such an appearance would provide national news attention that locals want, but not necessarily what the oil and gas industry want.

Texas Brine, the owner of the failed salt dome, is against doing anything constructive, filing an injunction against the state of Louisiana, claiming exploratory wells ordered by the state Office of Conservation commissioner could cause more problems in the area.

Residents, however, have taken matters into their own hands — they have filed with the White House’s ‘We The People‘ online petition outlet, asking for more federal assistance:

More than 52,000 gallons of crude oil has leaked out, and people have reported suffering symptoms related to crude exposure.
Deadly H2S gas has been found, and there is approx 100 mil cubic ft of methane underground that is bubbling up all over the surrounding swamps, and bayous.
Home methane monitors have been recommended.
There is a 3 mil cubic yd void somewhere underground that has not been located.
That’s equal to an 80 acre sinkhole 40 ft deep, or 100 football fields 40 ft deep.
150 homes/350 people have been evacuated from their homes since early August 2012.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel for when they can return home, or have any kind of closure from this nightmare.
This is not just a hole in the ground, and requires more resources than the state has at their disposal.

They need 25,000 signatures by Feb. 4 — right now they have  just a bit more than 1,500.

Read background and local analysis of the predicament at TruthOut.
And listen to a detailed interview on the incident with Truthout writer Mike Ludwig at Voice of Russia.

Just last weekend strange goings-on down there. Due to the massive damage mankind has done to the earth and its environment the last 200 years or so, we really don’t understand the real link between natural-occurring shit:

Meanwhile, more rumbling was detected around the Bayou Corne site over the weekend.
However, experts said there is no need to worry.
The tremors were connected with a 7.5 magnitude quake that struck off the coast of Alaska.
Experts said the quake was too far away to have any effect on the sinkhole.

Sounds like some of those “famous last words,” like the Titanic is unsinkable, or the wondrous, happy, happy feeling postured by the Federal Reserve in 2006.
And it ain’t no secret to the financial sinkhole that followed a few months later — bend over and kiss…

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