New Oil Rig Explosion in Gulf of Mexico - BREAKING NEWS

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1 Missing After Rig Explosion In Gulf

NEW ORLEANS - September 2, 2010: One person is missing after a rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

It happened around 9 a.m., and as of 10:15 a.m., the rig was still burning, the Coast Guard said. Rescue crews from New Orleans and Houston are responding.

Officials said there were 13 people aboard the rig, and all but one are accounted for.

Two helicopters from Houston and three from New Orleans are responding to the blast. Two other fixed-wing planes and two cutter ships are also responding, the Coast Guard said.

The rig is owned by Mariner Energy.

Oil Spill Reignites Argument for Flex Fuels

DETROIT - June 30, 2010: As the largest oil spill in U.S. history continues to leak into the Gulf of Mexico, the argument for domestically produced alternative fuels, like ethanol (E85), is back on. Manufacturing plants continue to research and develop biofuels from a variety of unique sources. In fact, scientists are now converting materials like grass and woodchips into cleaner burning biofuel at a similar cost to that of producing a gallon of gasoline. Although Brazil leads the way in flex-fuel vehicle production, the U.S. is not far behind with over 7 million vehicles to date; giving Americans something to think about at the pump. Today, General Motors is the leading producer of E85 FlexFuel vehicles, with 18 different models available in the U.S. in 2009, each capable of running on E85.

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