Large and powerful Hurricane Delta dealt the greatest blow to U.S. offshore Gulf of Mexico energy production in 15 years, halting most of the region’s oil and nearly two-thirds of natural gas output. Slideshow ( 2 images ) Delta packed 110 mile-per-hour (175 kph) winds as it churned through the Gulf’s prime oil-producing area toward landfall on coastal Louisiana. It was 80 miles (129 km) from Cameron, Louisiana and moving northeast at 14 mph, according to a 1 p.m. CDT update from the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Delta has shut 1.69 million barrels per day, or 92% of the Gulf’s oil output, as of midday Friday, the most since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina destroyed more than 100 offshore platforms and hobbled output for months. Ports from Beaumont, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana, were closed while those further east, including Morgan City and New Orleans were open […]