US Agents Raid Oil Driller QuarterNorth Over Offshore Leak (1)

Federal investigators raided a deep-water oil explorer’s Louisiana office last week as part of a probe into an offshore spill, a rare escalation for a US environmental case.

QuarterNorth Energy LLC’s office in Lafayette, Louisiana, was searched by investigators from the US Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency for materials related to a leaking well, according to people with knowledge of the situation.

The investigation follows a leak at a well off southeast Louisiana owned by QuarterNorth’s predecessor company, Fieldwood Energy LLC. That spill may have violated a promise of good behavior that Fieldwood signed with federal ...