NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard, the State of Louisiana,  and the Chevron Pipe Line Company (CPL) are responding to an oil spill  from a pipeline in the Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
 At approximately 1:00 a.m., Tuesday, Berry Brothers  General Contractors notified the Coast Guard that oil was discharging  into a canal located approximately 10 miles southeast of Venice, La.   CPL, which operates the pipeline, reports that approximately 18,000  gallons of crude oil has been released.
 Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, the Louisiana Oil Spill  Coordinator’s Office – Department of Public Safety and Corrections, and  Chevron Pipe Line Company (CPL), have formed a Unified Command and are  working to minimize the environmental impact of the spill.
 The Coast Guard deployed pollution investigators in an  HC-144A Ocean Sentry Aircraft that are evaluating the spill. The  Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Coast Guard have  pollution investigators in response boats on scene assessing the oil’s  impact and monitoring clean-up efforts.
 Upon receiving the initial report of the spill, CPL  immediately closed off the affected section of the pipeline and has  initiated its emergency response procedures to minimize the  environmental impact of the spill.  Specially trained company personnel  and contractors are responding as part of a comprehensive program to  minimize environmental impact.  The pipeline is owned by Cypress Pipe  Line Company which is a joint venture between British Petroleum and  CPL. 
 The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the  spill.