00:00 An oil spill is once again threatening the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem.
00:03 According to the Coast Guard, the spill was spotted Friday southeast of New Orleans, near
00:07 the pipeline system of the company Main Pass Oil Gathering.
00:11 The source of the spill hasn't been determined, but it's estimated to have potentially released
00:14 around 1 million gallons of oil.
00:17 That sounds like a lot, and it is.
00:19 But for comparison, the Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010 released 134 million gallons,
00:24 so this spill is not at that level.
00:26 Still, it could harm the environment.
00:28 Doug Helton, emergency operations coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
00:32 Administration, told CBS affiliate WWL-TV a big spill is really not based on the volume
00:39 as much as what is the potential impact.
00:41 Most of the coastal Louisiana is wetlands and marshes, and that's typically considered
00:44 very sensitive to oiling.
00:46 So it remains to be seen how much damage this spill could do.
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