Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit against Taylor Energy, responsible for Gulf oil leak

Taylor Energy may have to do more to mitigate impacts

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against Taylor Energy, the company blamed for a 2004 oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that experts say could leak for a century or more if left unchecked.  Southwings.org photo.

BATON ROUGE, La. – A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that environmental groups filed against a New Orleans-based company responsible for a decade-old oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan ruled Tuesday that a trial is necessary to determine whether several plaintiffs led by the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance have a right to sue Taylor Energy Company.

The company claims federal regulators agree nothing more can be done to stop the leak off Louisiana’s coast. But Morgan concluded there is a “genuine factual dispute” over whether Taylor can and should do more to mitigate its impacts.

Since 2004, oil has been leaking at the site where a Taylor-owned platform toppled during Hurricane Ivan. Authorities estimate the leak could last a century or more if left unchecked.

The Associated Press