Why an enduring U.S. oil spill can't be stopped

When the Taylor Energy oil drilling platform toppled over in September 2004, its 500-foot-tall metal legs twisted and bent as the looming structure sank to the seafloor. Hurricane Ivan's pummeling waves had unsettled the muddy ground, which spelled doom for the 20-year-old rig. It lay in a mangled, chaotic heap. And then, it started leaking oil. Over 14 years later, oil continues seeping to the surface in the Gulf of Mexico. And as geoscientist Oscar Pineda-Garcia, an expert in...