2004 Gulf oil leak remains unresolved

BATON ROUGE – New Orleans- owned Taylor Energy Company’s oil platform toppled during Hurricane Ivan in 2004 in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, TEC has failed to stop the 13-year-old leak and is asking a federal court for more time to negotiate a settlement with the U.S. government that could allow the company to recover millions of dollars it set aside for work to end the leak. Taylor Energy and U.S. officials have met four times in 2017 to discuss possible terms of a settlement that would resolve the firm's lawsuit against the government. In May, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Nancy Firestone ordered both parties to provide an update last week. On Nov. 2, Justice Department attorneys joined the TEC in asking for more time. TEC sued in January 2016, claiming regulators violated a 2008 agreement requiring the company to deposit approximately $666 million in a trust to pay for leak response work. The company argued the government must return the remaining $432 million. The firm claimed nothing can be done to completely eliminate chronic sheens at the site. Regulators have warned that the leak could last a century if left unchecked. (Source: The AP 11/06/17)