BP Sued Over Gulf Spill - Government Wants To Reclaim Billions

By: Michael Stevens
Staff Writer
Published: Dec 16, 2021

BP sued over Gulf spill - government wants to reclaim billions. BP Exploration and Production is being sued over the Gulf oil spill. The Justice Department is also taking eight other companies to court that are linked to the disaster.

"We intend to hold them fully accountable," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. The Obama administration's lawsuit asks that the companies be held liable without limitation under the Oil Pollution Act. It plans to sue BP for all removal costs and damages caused by the oil spill, including damages to natural resources.

The BP lawsuit also seeks civil penalties under the Clean Water Act. "We intend to prove these violations caused or contributed to the massive oil spill," Holder said. The federal lawsuit says inadequate cementing of the well contributed to the BP oil disaster.

Similar charges were made by BP in its internal investigation, and by the independent presidential oil spill commission. But Halliburton Co., the contractor in charge of mixing and pumping the cement, is not named in the suit. Holder said it is conceivable that additional defendants could be added to the BP lawsuit. "This is an ongoing process," the attorney general said.

The BP explosion happened on the Macondo well last April. It killed 11 workers and became the largest oil disaster in history. More than 200 million gallons were spilled, according to the latest government estimate. However, BP disputes the figure.

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