The 14-year oil spill on the Gulf Coast is likely to worsen in the history of the United States

After sinking into the Gulf of Mexico for 14 years, an oil spill off the coast of Louisiana is set to become the worst in US history, according to reports. The Washington Post.

In 2004, Hurricane Ivan caused a mudslide that sank an oil production platform owned by Taylor Energy. The oil wells have not been plugged and continue to pour into the Gulf.

The US coastguard estimated in 2015 that 16,000 gallons of water were flowing out of the well every day. Orlando Sentinel reported.

Federal government lawyers said last month that 10,000 to 30,000 gallons of oil were escaping from wells around the drilling rig each day.

In the absence of a plan to stop oil flows, the "Taylor Spill" threatens to overtake BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster as the largest ever recorded, "according to the newspaper. The Washington Post.

"The reason not to" plug "fundamentally is monetary," said Robert Bea, professor of engineering and project management at the University of California at Berkeley. Newsweek. "Wells are hard to reach because of landslide effects [and] must be sealed individually. The costs must be borne by the state and federal governments. "

Taylor Energy argued that there was no evidence that wells were leaking.

Waves rose early in the morning on the beach, a few days after BP's announcement of the end of its "active clean-up" on the Louisiana coast, as a result of the Deepwater Horizon spill. Sean Gardner / Getty Images

"There is plenty of evidence to support the fact that these NRC reports are incorrect," said Oscar Garcia-Pineda, who last month submitted an independent report on behalf of the Department of Justice.

The oil spill is part of a larger problem caused by storms. the To post reported that hurricanes had "beaten or destroyed" more than 150 platforms during a four-year period beginning with Hurricane Ivan.

While the Gulf contains an oil mine – forecasts predict a production of more than 600 million barrels in 2018 – drilling is accompanied by frequent leaks. "Out of 1,000 wells in federal and state waters, there are an average of 20 uncontrolled releases of oil – or blowouts – each year," says To post reported.

As Taylor Energy's leak continues, President Donald Trump has decided to extend leases for the oil and natural gas sector.

In January, the Trump administration released a plan authorizing drilling in almost all offshore waters, The New York Times reported. The plan was to authorize drilling in areas "where governors from New Jersey to Florida oppose oil and gas exploration, close to a dozen attorneys general, more than 100 legislators US and the Department of Defense, "according to the newspaper. The Washington Post.

The Brookings Institute warned that "when the Trump administration dismantles energy regulation, it will undermine the trust that underlies domestic energy development."

Danene Birtell and Melanie Reed remove oil from a laughing gull at the Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Fort Jackson on July 5, 2010. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 134 million gallons of oil sank in the Gulf, contaminating 1,300 miles of shoreline, the National Ocean Service said in 2017. "Scientists have concluded that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had killed thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles, and contaminated their habitats. "

A range of protected species were exposed to oil during the spill, which lasted 87 days.