Crosstex Moving Pipeline Near Huge La Sinkhole

BAYOU CORNE, La. (AP) — Crosstex Energy LP of Dallas will reroute its 36-inch natural gas pipeline away from a sinkhole in south Louisiana.

The company tells The Advocate (http://bit.ly/T62L0V) that the project will cost $20 million to $25 million and take about a year.

It has had to close part of the pipeline and find other natural gas supplies for its customers since the sinkhole was discovered Aug. 3 in Assumption Parish near Bayou Corne. The company says that's costing around $250,000 to $300,000 a month.

It says it's looking into recovering losses from "responsible parties and insurance coverage." Spokeswoman Jill McMillan says Crosstex won't provide more details about those plans.

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has said a failed brine cavern in the Napoleonville Salt Dome may have caused the sinkhole.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com