US government sues BP

The moon rises in the east as a cold wind blows the U.S. flag Tuesday Jan. 30, 2007 in Fort Smith, Ark. The flag is flying at Cavanaugh Free Will Baptist Church. (AP Photo/Kaia Larsen)

US: sues BP over Gulf spill

Kaia Larsen

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By News Wires

 15 December 2010 19:46 GMT

The Obama administration is suing units of BP and four other companies, saying they violated environmental laws in the largest offshore oil spill in US history, according to a court filing.



The civil lawsuit, filed today in US District Court in New Orleans, is the first brought by the US over the oil spill caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in April.

The Justice Department’s civil investigation is continuing, as is a probe of potential criminal violations, Bloomberg reported.

The lawsuit seeks damages under the Clean Water Act and to declare four of the defendants liable under the Oil Pollution Act for all removal costs and damages caused by the oil spill, including damages to the environment, according to…

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