Patrick Taylor's Legacy - A Two Edged Sword

While Louisiana taxpayers continue to fund TOPS which was set up to honor the legacy of oil tycoon Patrick Taylor for his generosity in starting a college tuition funding program for high achieving inner city kids, we need not forget his other not so generous legacy.  His company Taylor Energy has given Louisiana one of the worse offshore oil spills in U.S. history.

This oil spill disaster which has been kept quiet by Louisiana officials since 2004 has been dumping between 300 to 700 barrels of oil daily into the Gulf just 12 miles from the Louisiana coast.  That year an oil production platform owned by Taylor Energy sank in a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan.  Many of the wells have never been capped and soon the continuing leaks from the wells will surpass the BP’s Deep Horizon Disaster as the largest ever.

From 2004 to 2010 the spill, with the aid of our state, was successfully kept secret because of the company’s desire to protect Mr. Taylor’s reputation and his company’s proprietary information about its operations.   Apparently state officials were content to let it remain a secret for Louisiana never even filled suit against Taylor Energy for the continuing damage.

However, much to their dismay, it was accidentally discovered by environmental watchdog groups when they stumbled on Taylor Energy wells’ oil slicks while monitoring the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster.

Even though the company is no longer in business they are obligated by law to plug the leaks.  Taylor Energy’s latest approach to the problem is simply to walk away from it, for the leaks continue with no planned end in sight. 

The company was ordered by the Feds to set up a $450 million dollar trust fund to fix the problem.

However, they are presently suing to get the money back claiming it’s no big deal because, according to their estimates, it’s only leaking 1 to 55 barrels a day.   A figure no one else can support by data.

Maybe a better use of all that tax payers’ money for TOPS would be to direct it towards plugging those leaks.

But then again who cares if the Gulf and Louisiana’s coastline gets more polluted as long as we can send our kids to college, tuition free.  Thanks Taylor Energy.