The Deepwater Horizon oil rig that caused one of the worst environmental disasters the United States has ever known could be leaking oil once again, according to a new report.
The rig’s owners, BP, are setting out Thursday on the fifth day of a top-secret search to find the leak,
according to CBS News, which said the Coast Guard is supervising the mission.
CBS said a new oil sheen was spotted 50 miles off the Louisiana coast in September and tests showed it came from the well beneath the Horizon platform. BP said a leak was plugged on Oct. 23.
But now CBS says more oil is surfacing. “Slicks and sheens of varying sizes and shapes have been documented by satellite photos, as well as aerial video recorded by the non-profit environmental group ‘On Wings of Care,’ " the network reported.
“It's suspected that an unknown amount of oil trapped in the containment dome, and in the wreckage and equipment from 2010, could be seeping out.”
Democratic Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts told CBS that BP is refusing to hand over vital documents related to the search.
"Back in 2010, I said BP was either lying or incompetent. Well, it turns out they were both," said Markey. "The American public today is entitled to the same information that BP was lying about in 2010 so that we can understand the full dimension of the additional environmental damage.”
BP told CBS the wells are “secure,” and it is cooperating with the Coast Guard’s investigation.
The Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010 killed 11 workers on the platform and resulted in more than 7 million gallons of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico over a three month period.
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