A 14-Year-Long Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Verges on Becoming One of the Worst in U.S. History

October 25, 2018

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by Darryl Fears (Washington Post) An oil spill that has been quietly leaking millions of barrels into the Gulf of Mexico has gone unplugged for so long that it now verges on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S. history.

Between 300 and 700 barrels of oil per day have been spewing from a site 12 miles off the Louisiana coast since 2004, when an oil-production platform owned by Taylor Energy sank in a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan. Many of the wells have not been capped, and federal officials estimate that the spill could continue through this century. With no fix in sight, the Taylor offshore spill is threatening to overtake BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster as the largest ever. READ MORE

The U.S. is trying to end the longest oil spill in history. And this company is fighting against it in court. (Washington Post)

A massive Gulf oil spill is finally being contained after more than 14 years (Washington Post)

Hidden oil spill: New study contradicts owner’s claims (AP News)

The Energy 202: The truth comes out about the longest-lasting oil spill in Gulf of Mexico (Washington Post)

The U.S. government has studied the longest oil spill in history — 14 years after the leak began (Washington Post)

Taylor Energy’s 15-Year Oil Spill — No End Or Action in Sight (Our Daily Planet)

Taylor Energy Mess In Gulf Getting Cleaned Up — Finally (Our Daily Planet)

Taylor Energy Oil Spill: This Is How Change Happens (SkyTruth)

Excerpt from The Washington Post: Nearly 15 years after the start of the longest-lasting oil spill the Gulf of Mexico has ever seen, the federal government finally assessed how much oil has been leaked.

That estimate is starkly different than the number of gallons publicly claimed by the company that owned the oil-production platform, Taylor Energy. As The Post's Darryl Fears reports, two scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with and a Florida State University professor, found that up to 108 barrels of oil, or more than 4,500 gallons, is being released from the site off of the Lousiana coast every day.

Compare that to what the company had been saying: That less than three gallons is being released into the ocean daily.

That is not something Taylor Energy really wanted to let the world know. The oil spill went undiscovered until about a decade ago when environmental watchdog groups found oil slicks while monitoring the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. The spill began after Hurricane Ivan triggered a mudslide that collapsed the oil platform in 2004. READ MORE