Senator presses federal officials to release data, records on decade-old Gulf oil leak

A U.S. senator from Florida is pressing federal officials to disclose technical data and other information about a decade-old oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that has been shrouded in secrecy.

Sen. Bill Nelson sent a letter Friday to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson after an Associated Press investigation revealed evidence that the spill is far worse than a company or government regulators have publicly reported.

Nelson says it's "unacceptable" that oil is still leaking from the site off Louisiana's coast where an oil platform owned by Taylor Energy Company toppled during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Presented with AP's findings, the Coast Guard provided a new leak estimate that is about 20 times greater than one recently touted by the company.