Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/497293
ByMichaelKunzelman and Jeff Donn The Associated Press OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO Ablanketoffoglifts,expos- ing a band of rainbow sheen that stretches for miles off the coast of Louisiana. From the vantage point of an airplane, it's easy to see gas bubbles in the slick that mark the spot where an oil platform toppled during a 2004 hurricane, trigger- ing what might be the lon- gest-running commercial oil spill ever to pollute the Gulf of Mexico. Yet more than a decade after crude started leak- ing at the site formerly op- erated by Taylor Energy Company, few people even know of its existence. The company has downplayed the leak's extent and envi- ronmental impact, likening it to scores of minor spills and natural seeps the Gulf routinely absorbs. An Associated Press in- vestigation has revealed ev- idence that the spill is far worse than what Taylor — or the government — have publicly reported during their secretive, and costly, effort to halt the leak. Pre- sented with AP's findings, that the sheen recently aver- aged about 91 gallons of oil per day across eight square miles, the Coast Guard provided a new leak esti- mate that is about 20 times greater than one recently touted by the company. Outside experts say the spill could be even worse — possibly one of the largest ever in the Gulf. Taylor's oil was befoul- ing the Gulf for years in obscurity before BP's mas- sive spill in mile-deep wa- ter outraged the nation in 2010. Even industry experts haven't heard of Taylor's slow-motion spill, which has been leaking like a steady trickle from a fau- cet, compared to the fire hose that was BP's gusher. Taylor, a company re- nowned in Louisiana for the philanthropy of its de- ceased founder, has kept documents secret that would shed light on what it has done to stop the leak and eliminate the persistent sheen. The Coast Guard said in 2008 the leak posed a "sig- nificant threat" to the en- vironment, though there is no evidence oil from the site has reached shore. Ian Mac- Donald, a Florida State Uni- versity biological oceanog- raphy professor and expert witness in a lawsuit against Taylor, said the sheen "pres- ents a substantial threat to the environment" and is ca- pable of harming birds, fish and other marine life. Using satellite images and pollution reports, the watchdog group SkyTruth estimates between 300,000 and 1.4 million gallons of oil has spilled from the site since 2004, with an annual average daily leak rate be- tween 37 and 900 gallons. If SkyTruth's high-end estimate of 1.4 million gal- lons is accurate, Taylor's spill would be about 1 per- cent the size of BP's, which a judge ruled amounted to 134 million gallons. That would still make the Taylor spill the 8th largest in the Gulf since 1970, according to a list compiled by the Na- tional Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration. "The Taylor leak is just a great example of what I call a dirty little secret in plain sight," said SkyTruth Presi- dent John Amos. Taylor has spent tens of millions of dollars to con- tain and stop its leak, but it says nothing can be done to completely halt the chronic slicks. The New Orleans based company presented federal regulators last year with a proposed "final resolu- tion" at the site, but the de- tails remain under wraps. For years, the government has allowed the company to shield other spill-related information from public scrutiny — all in the name of protecting trade secrets. Industry experts and en- vironmental advocates are baffled by Taylor's inability to stop the leak and its de- mands for confidentiality. "It's not normal to have a spill like this," said Ken Arnold, an industry con- sultant and former engi- neering manager for Shell Oil Company. "The whole thing surprises me. Nor- mally, we fix things much more quickly than this." Five years ago, it took 87 days for BP to cap its blown- out Gulf well and halt the worst offshore oil spill in the nation's history. The di- saster, which killed 11 rig workers, exposed weak- nesses in the industry's safety culture and gaps in its spill response capabili- ties. Taylor's leak provided earlier evidence of how dif- ficult it can be for the indus- try to prevent or stop a spill in an unforgiving environ- ment. But the company has balked at sharing informa- tion that could help other offshore operators prepare for a similar incident, say- ing it's a valuable asset. POLLUTION Se cr ec y sh ro ud s de ca de -o ld oil spill in Gulf of Mexico GERALDHERBERT—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS The wake of a supply vessel heading toward a working platform crosses over an oil sheen dri ing from the site of the former Taylor Energy oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. JAMES BORCHUCK — THE TAMPA BAY TIMES VIA AP Doug Hughes flies his gyrocopter near the Wauchula Municipal Airport in Wauchula, Fla., in March. By Erica Werner The Associated Press WASHINGTON The Flor- ida postal carrier charged Thursday with two fed- eral crimes for steering his small gyrocopter through protected Washington air- space "literally flew under the radar" to the lawn of the Capitol, Homeland Se- curity Secretary Jeh John- son said as key lawmakers raised alarms about secu- rity risks. Doug Hughes, 61, was charged with violating re- stricted airspace and op- erating an unregistered aircraft, crimes that carry penalties of up to four years in prison and fines. He was released from cus- tody and allowed to re- turn to Florida on home detention. A federal mag- istrate judge ordered him not to fly any aircraft and told him to stay away from Washington except for court visits and keep clear of the White House and Capitol while in town. Hughes' stunt, aimed at drawing attention to the need for campaign finance reform, exposed a seam in the U.S. government's ef- forts to protect the White House, Capitol and other vital federal buildings. The stunt caused no in- juries and few disruptions as Hughes flew in low and slow, landing between the Capitol and its reflecting pool in broad daylight on Wednesday. But lawmak- ers demanded explana- tions for how he managed to remain undetected as he flew the lightweight craft all the way to Capi- tol Hill from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Concerns were only magnified by the confir- mation that Hughes was interviewed in 2013 by the U.S. Secret Service, which apparently determined he did not pose a threat, according to Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "I think that there's ab- solutely a gap, and it's a very dangerous gap, with regard to our airspace," Cummings said. "I don't want people to get a mes- sage that they can just land anywhere. Suppose there was a bomb or an ex- plosive device on that air vehicle? That could have been a major catastrophe." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the incident "stun- ning," and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who chairs the House Com- mittee on Homeland Se- curity, said he would con- sider holding hearings. "These small aircraft or UAV (unmanned aerial ve- hicle) devices concern me because they could go un- detected and cause dam- age, so that's something we're taking a look at," Mc- Caul said. 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