Janet McGurty and David Sheppard: Chevron Confirms Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak!

A leak from a shallow water crude oil pipeline in the Main Pass Area of the Gulf of Mexico has led Chevron to shut down its offshore Louisiana Main Pass pipeline network, the company said on Tuesday. Chevron has shut its Cypress line. About 15,ooo barrels per day of crude oil production was shut, due to the pipeline leak, though it will resume partial production within 24 hours. Chevron did not reply to several requests for additional information about the leak and its operations in the Main Pass Area. Carol Fagot, a spokeswoman at the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), said the agency was "aware of the report and looking into it," without offering further details. Both the US Coast Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office said they had not been informed of a leak off the coast. Chevron has two offshore platforms in the Main Pass 299 block, according to the company's website. The site is located in shallow waters about 40 miles east of Venice, Louisiana, and has produced heavy oil, natural gas and sulfur, according to government records. Chevron said the leak was from a 10-inch riser pipeline in Main Pass Block 299. Riser pipelines normally carry crude from the seabed to production platforms.