NEW ORLEANS – Taylor Energy of New Orleans is challenging a Coast Guard claim that the company owes at least $43M in costs and penalties related to a nearly 16-year-old continuing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Taylor Energy’s federal lawsuit is the latest salvo in a legal battle over that spill when Hurricane Ivan toppled the Mississippi Canyon platform in 2004. The firm and CG have been at odds over what should be done to halt the leak, how much oil has leaked, and whether oil collected by a CG-hired contractor came from an active flow of oil from the Taylor site. In a letter to Taylor officials June 2, government lawyers say they will seek $43M to cover costs of removing the oil and civil penalties. No environmental damage has been reported from the ongoing seepage. Two other federal lawsuits filed by Taylor Energy, dealing with orders to contain the spill, are set for trial in December. (Source: The AP 06/18/20) Taylor Energy was sold to a South Korean company in 2008. This was the same year they created a $333M trust with the government. Currently, only one-third of the money had been spent on cleanup, and only one-third of the leaking wells have been fixed.
Shipbuilding and maritime related news from the Central Gulf Coast region
