Almost eight months after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing one of the greatest environmental disasters in United States history, the Department of Justice today announced a civil suit “in an effort to recover billions of dollars” from the responsible parties. A team of 40 criminal prosecutors have been investigating the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster for months. The lawsuit, filed in New Orleans court against BP, Transocean, and the rig’s minority owners, says the “defendants failed to keep the Macondo well under control” and “failed to maintain continuous surveillance and failed to maintain equipment and material that were available and necessary to ensure the safety and protection of personnel, equipment, natural resources and the environment.” The administration calls for all liability caps to be ignored:
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.
Earlier this month, President Obama reversed his decision to open new areas to offshore drilling, which had been announced just three weeks before the BP disaster.
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