Why an enduring U.S. oil spill can't be stopped

When the Taylor Energy oil drilling platform toppled over in September 2004, its 500-foot-tall metal legs twisted and bent as the looming structure sank to the seafloor. Hurricane Ivan’s pummeling waves had unsettled the muddy ground, which spelled doom for the 20-year-old rig. It lay in a mangled, chaotic heap.

And then, it started leaking oil.

Over 14 years later, oil continues seeping to the surface in the Gulf of Mexico. And as geoscientist Oscar Pineda-Garcia, an expert in satellite-based sensing of oil spills events, concluded last month in a 91-page federal court-ordered report, there’s been a chronic release of “at least” 300 to 700 barrels of oil each day (12,600 to 29,400 gallons). This vastly eclipses previous government estimates of between 1 to 55 barrels per day. Read more…

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Source: Mashable | Why an enduring U.S. oil spill can't be stopped