Workers Rush to Cleanup Oil Spill in Sandy Aftermath
Workers continue to clean up the nearly 350,000 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled into a New Jersey waterway Monday as a result of superstorm Sandy.
The spill happened after a tank ruptured at a storage facility owned by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a joint venture of Shell and Saudi Refining Inc. Diesel, according to the Associated Press. As the acidic stench filled the air, workers utilized a vacuum truck Wednesday night to suck up some of the diesel-and-water mixture next to a local park in Arthur Kill.
There have been requests from the US Coast Guard for three separate oil spills in the area for scientific support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There are roughly 8,300 barrels, or 349,000 gallons, of diesel, bio-diesel and slop oil of concern, according to NOAA.
SEE OTHER TOP STORIES IN THE ENERGY DIGITAL CONTENT NETWORK
Crude Oil Bullish, Gasoline Declining Post-Sandy
Sandy Leaves Millions Without Power, Death Toll Climbs
Read more in Energy Digital's October Issue
Motiva has been under pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency before after a fire at a refinery resulted in an explosion and the release of over 1 million gallons of sulfuric acid in 2001. Sandy's wrath has added to more environmental contamination in Arthur Kill, which has suffered from other environmental contamination from industries for many years.
The spill is said to be significant—one that would take many months to cleanup.
