Joint DOI-USCG Statement:
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has notified Taylor Energy that funds provided by Taylor Energy in accordance with the Trust Agreement in 2008 must remain in the Trust to provide for further decommissioning activities. Federal regulations and the 2008 Trust Agreement require that Taylor Energy decommission all of the wells at the site.
The U.S. Coast Guard, as the Federal On Scene Coordinator (FOSC) under a Unified Command (UC) which includes the BSEE, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the Responsible Party, Taylor Energy, continues to monitor and respond to discharges from Taylor Energy's Mississippi Canyon 20A (MC-20A) well site resulting from damage to the oil production platform and 25 connected wells during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The multi-agency effort will continue its work to prevent and control the discharge, improve the effectiveness of containment around the leaking oil, and mitigate environmental impacts.
The Coast Guard, as the FOSC, facilitates UC meetings with Taylor Energy and federal inter-agency representatives, including BSEE and BOEM, to ensure an effective response posture is being maintained at the field level. The UC’s collaborative efforts have resulted in the removal of the platform deck, removal of subsea debris, decommissioning of the oil pipeline, and intervention of nine of the 25 impacted wells. Taylor Energy, as the responsible party, has a continuing legal obligation and responsibility to pay for oil spill recovery and response costs under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Taylor Energy Oil Discharge at MC 20 Site and Ongoing Response Efforts