The U.S. is reopening more federal waters in the
Gulf of Mexico for commercial and recreational fishing that had been closed because of the massive oil spill, a government official said Friday. The news comes as hearings before a federal investigative panel in Houston continue and oil giant
BP prepares to permanently kill its undersea well.
Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told reporters that
the government is reopening 4,281 square miles of federal waters off the coast of western Louisiana.
Oil sheen has not been seen there since July 29, and scientists found no oil or dispersants on samples of the area's shrimp and finfish.
Twenty percent of federal waters in the Gulf remain closed.
"We're sort of nibbling at the edges if you will, areas that have been free of oil for the longest time and were oiled the least,"
Lubchenco said.
08-27-2010, 11:25 AM
Opening more federal waters
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