When Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast 10 years ago this month, it passed over some of the nation's densest oil and gas production infrastructure. The resulting spills offer crucial lessons for residents of the Atlantic Coast as federal regulators weigh a plan to open an area from Virginia to Georgia to offshore drilling.
Image:
An aerial image of the Murphy Oil spill that contaminated residential neighborhoods in Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish after Hurricane Katrina. (Environmental Protection Agency photo.)
Image Caption:
<p>An aerial image of the Murphy Oil spill that contaminated residential neighborhoods in Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish after Hurricane Katrina. (<a href="http://www.epa.gov/katrina/images/oilspill_650.jpg">Environmental Protection Agency photo</a>.)</p>