BP Sued By US Government Over Gulf Oil Spill

December 16th, 2010 - 8:36 pm ICT by GD  

By Ranjan Bhaduri
oil-from-gulf-spillDec 16, (THAINDIAN NEWS) In a sensational development the Federal government’s justice department has sued British Oil firm BP along with 8 other companies for the infamous Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The oil spill which caused huge damage to the Florida coastal region and wildlife as well made sensations in USA and environmental activists were up in arms against the firm accusing it of being slow and inefficient of handling of the entire fiasco. BP took several months to plug in the damaged well and stop the oil spill. The ghastly images of seabirds soaked in oil shocked the viewers and many of them died at the coastal region. It is rated as one of the worst man made environmental disasters. The lawsuit accuses the UK firm of breaching the federal regulations and says that its safety measures were inadequate.

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties as per the Clean Water Act and a federal statute for cleanup related expenses. The lawsuit also slams BP for being a cause behind the massive damage to the sea water and eco system. BP said on its part said that it will respond to this development and will not deviate from its commitment to the Gulf of Mexico. It also added that it will fully cooperate with the ongoing investigations. It issued a statement saying “The filing is solely a statement of the government’s allegations and does not in any manner constitute any finding of liability or any judicial finding that the allegations have merit”.

The lawsuit makes it possible for the US government to ask BP to pay several million dollars in compensation. The justice department has not mentioned any specific amount so far.

Related Stories

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted in Environment |

Subscribe