(Gulf) Oil industry may get first post-Katrina test

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HOUSTON - Stronger moorings for production platforms. Deeper pipelines. Larger supplies of backup electricity, water and other supplies.

The petroleum industry has spent vast amounts of time and money since the catastrophic hurricanes of 2005 trying to make sure it’s better prepared for the next big blow.

That could come in the next few days as Hurricane Gustav heads into the northern Gulf of Mexico, home to a complex web of platforms, pipelines and refineries in a region that produces roughly 25 percent of the nation’s oil and 15 percent of its natural gas.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26457621/