Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon in this April 21, 2010 handout file photograph. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON - THE Justice Department on Wednesday sued BP and eight other companies in the Gulf oil spill disaster in an effort to recover billions of dollars from the largest offshore spill in US history.
The Obama administration's lawsuit asks that the companies be held liable without limitation under the Oil Pollution Act for all removal costs and damages caused by the oil spill, including damages to natural resources. The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties under the Clean Water Act.
'We intend to prove these violations caused or contributed to the massive oil spill,' Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference.
The federal lawsuit says inadequate cementing of the well contributed to the disaster. Similar charges were made by BP in its internal investigation, and by the independent presidential oil spill commission.
But Halliburton Co, the contractor in charge of mixing and pumping the cement, is not named in the suit.
Mr Holder said it is conceivable that additional defendants could be added to the lawsuit. 'This is an ongoing process,' the attorney general said.
The amount of damages and the extent of injuries sustained by the United States as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Spill are not yet fully known, the lawsuit states. -- AP
No comments:
Post a Comment