US sues BP for Gulf of Mexico oil spill
The United States filed a suit on Wednesday against BP and eight other companies for damages caused by this year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Issued on: Modified:
The complaint was filed by the Justice Department with a federal court in New Orleans, where thousands of individuals and small businesses have already filed suits against BP.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the complaint alleges that violations of safety and operational regulations caused the 20 April explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig, which sent nearly five millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
“We intend to prove that these violations caused or contributed to the massive oil spill and that the defendants are therefore responsible under the oil pollution act for government removal losses, economic losses, as well as environmental damages," said Holder. "We're also seeking civil penalties under the clean water act," he said.
The defendants named in the lawsuit:
- BP Exploration and Production Inc.
- Anadarko Exploration & Production LP
- Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
- MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC
- Triton Asset Leasing GMBH
- Transocean Holdings LLC
- Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc.
- Transocean Deepwater Inc.
- QBE Underwriting Ltd./Lloyd’s Syndicate 1036.
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