Cleanup under way in 462,000-gallon oil spill off Port Arthur

CNN) -- Crews removed about 46,000 gallons of oil from waters near Port Arthur, Texas, on Sunday, roughly 10 percent of the oil spilled a day earlier when a tanker collided with two barges, a U.S. Coast Guard officer said.

An estimated 462,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from barrels aboard the tanker, forcing the closure of the port in southern Texas, Petty Officer Larry Chambers told CNN. The Sabine Neches Waterway near Port Arthur also was closed. It was unclear Sunday when the port, about 100 miles east of Houston, Texas, will reopen or when crews will finish the cleanup, he said.

"We certainly want it to be done as soon as possible, but with that said, safety is the main issue," Chambers said. "We're not going to open the port until it's determined that vessels can pass through cleanly, safely and not cause any further damage."

No injuries were reported when the Exxon Mobile-chartered tanker -- the 807-foot Eagle Otome -- collided Saturday with two barges being towed by a tug boat. The tanker was carrying about 570,000 gallons of crude oil to Exxon's Beaumont refinery when it crashed, Exxon Mobile spokesman Kevin Allexon told CNN. The cause of the crash was unknown, but is under investigation, he said.

"We are very concerned about how this could have happened," Allexon said. "We are very concerned about the impact to the environment, to the community. No one wants to see this happen."

The port is primarily for industrial use, but it is not far from wetlands. None of the nearby marshes or sensitive wildlife were adversely affected, Chambers said, but one heron was "oiled." The bird was alive and undergoing treatment, he said.

An evacuation order that was imposed in a 50-block area around the port after the collision was lifted. That area was evacuated Saturday out of caution, as the tanker was carrying a type of oil containing sulfide.

Fifteen skimming vessels sailed the area recovering the oil and workers dropped more than 45,000 feet of boom -- fencing-like material -- to keep the oil from spreading, Chambers said. More than 500 people were involved in containing and cleaning the spill, said Darrell Wilson, spokesman for Malaysia-based AET Tanker Holdings, the owner of the tanker.

The biggest oil spill in U.S. history occurred in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in the Gulf of Alaska, resulting in the spill of 11 million gallons of crude.

Bullritos opens in Deer Park

DEER PARK, Texas - December 16, 2009 - After opening its first location in La Porte, Texas, in 2008 and quickly becoming a local favorite, Bullritos(r) is proud to open its fourth franchised location, located at 3709 Center Street in Deer Park, Texas. Bullritos serves burritos (bullritos), tacos and bowls (bullritos without tortillas).

In celebration of opening day, the first 50 qualified participants in line at the new Deer Park Bullritos received an Unbelievabull Giveaway-one free bullrito per week for a year. Bullritos fans started camping out at the Deer Park location at 10 p.m. the night before opening day.

"We wanted to thank the Deer Park community for welcoming Bullritos with open arms," said Jonathan Kim, Bullritos franchisee. "And this giveaway was the perfect opportunity to not only give back to guests, but to also allow them to have the full Bullritos experience."

Bullritos was founded by Russell Ybarra, president and founder of Gringo's Mexican Kitchen. Motivated by his personal experience of running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, Ybarra extended his culinary palette into a Spanish-inspired, hip burrito joint complete with high-quality ingredients, frozen lemonade and talented "burristas" (burrito rollers). Bullritos, bowls and tacos are loaded with any combination of freshly grilled and prepared meats, two styles of rice, three options of beans (all vegetarian), chile con queso, freshly-cut veggies and mild to spicy salsas. To create a "Custom Bull," patrons indicate their order by marking their desired style and ingredients on bull bags with red markers. Burristas create the bullrito, bowl or tacos, and put them in the bag for the guest to "run with it," emphasizing the "bag 'n' go" concept.


"We hope to impact more communities in a positive way with every new Bullritos location," said Ybarra. "The philosophy behind Bullritos has always been to deliver delicious food with the finest ingredients as well as to give back to the community."