Month: July 2013

SkyTruth - July 26, 2013: Yesterday, the runaway gas well at the Hercules 265 jackup drill rig in the Gulf "bridged over" - essentially choked itself with sand, rock and other debris - shutting off the flow of natural gas, extinguishing the fire that had been burning since Tuesday night. Here is a post-fire photo of the rig.  The small production platform it had been working at is a total loss.  The jackup itself has sustained…

UPDATE: On July 25, the well "bridged over" and the fire is now out. Hercules is expected to drill a relief well to completely kill the run-away well. See the most recent update from GMC member SkyTruth here. July 24, 2013 @ 3:58 pm - Around midday yesterday, (Tuesday, July 23)  a natural gas blowout occurred at a jackup drill rig, the Hercules 265, operating in shallow water in the Gulf of Mexico…

New Orleans, LA - Yesterday, the judge in a lawsuit (Apalachicola Riverkeeper v. Taylor Energy Co. LLC) brought against Taylor Energy for a leaking oil well issued an order denying most of Taylor Energy's Motion to Dismiss and denied Taylor's Motion to Stay the lawsuit. The Clean Water Act lawsuit was brought by Apalachicola Riverkeeper, Louisiana Environmental Action Network on behalf of it's Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper program, and Waterkeeper Alliance in an effort to stop Taylor's…

Last Updated: 7/10/13 @ 2:32 PM EST July 10, 2013 - 12:54 pm: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced Tuesday they are responding to a loss of well control at Platform B in Ship Shoal Block 225. On July 9, USCG reported a 4-mile by 3/4 mile rainbow sheen in the Gulf (covering an area of 1,920 acres based on reported dimensions) around an oil and…

SkyTruth - July 2, 2013 : Following a recent cluster of "conflicting reports" of oil-slicks observed around the wreckage of former Taylor Energy platform #23051, the Times - Picayune of New Orleans ran an article yesterday on the almost nine-year saga of ongoing pollution from the damaged wells. On June 18th and 20th, GMC member SkyTruth reported a larger than usual discrepancy between the reports from Taylor Energy's contractor who flies the site daily,…