U.S. sues BP and others over Gulf Oil Spill

Today, the U.S. Deptartment of Justice announced filing of a civil lawsuit against BP and several other companies involved in the Gulf Oil Spill, seeking undisclosed penalties and damages under the Oil Pollution Act and the Clean Water Act.  The Justice Department will also be looking to hold some defendants liable without limitation under the Oil Pollution Act for oil-spill-removal costs and other damages, including that of natural resources.  This is the federal government’s first major legal action in the Gulf Oil disaster.

Other defendants named in the lawsuit include certain subsidiaries of Transocean, Anadarko Petroleum Corp.,  MOEX Offshore, Triton Asset Leasing, and QBE Underwriting Ltd./Lloyd’s Syndicate 1036.  Halliburton Co., on the other hand, was not named in the suit.

In the complaint, the U.S. alleges violations of federal safety and operational regulations, including:

• Failure to take necessary precautions to secure the Macondo Well prior to the April 20th explosion;
• Failure to utilize the safest drilling technology to monitor the well’s condition;
• Failure to maintain continuous surveillance of the well; and
• Failure to utilize and maintain equipment and materials that were available and necessary to ensure the safety and protection of personnel, property, natural resources, and the environment.

Read HERE for the full announcment fromt he U.S. Dept. of Justice.

More: WSJ – Justice Department Sues BP Over Gulf Oil Spill

[Image: NASA]

Updated: February 5, 2026 (Originally published December 15, 2010)

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