US Sues BP and 8 Firms for Gulf Oil Spill

The US government is suing BP for violating federal safety regulations in relation to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawsuit, which includes eight other companies, requests that they be held liable for all the costs for clean-up and damage caused.

The Deepwater Horizon explosion in April that killed eleven workers and spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf’s waters became the worst environmental disaster in the history of the US. This suit charges the firms under the US Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Act. Aside from BP Exploration and Production, the other companies named in the suit include: MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Exploration & Production LP, Triton Asset Leasing GMBH, Transocean Deepwater Inc, Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc, Transocean Holdings LLC and insurer QBE Underwriting Ltd/Lloyd’s Syndicate 1036.

Eric Holder, the US Attorney General, says the complaint alleges that the explosion was caused by violations to safety and operational laws. They intend to prove that the defendants are responsible for environmental damages, economic losses and government removal costs without limitation, he continued. As they continue investigating, he added, they won’t hesitate to do whatever they need to hold those responsible for the oil spill accountable.

BP said in a statement that the filing doesn’t constitute any finding of liability or any judicial finding that the accusations have merit. They will continue co-operating with government inquiries and fulfill their commitments to clean the oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico, they added.