US launches civil action against BP
The US Department of Justice has filed a civil lawsuit against BP claiming that the company should be liable to pay for the damage caused from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The department alleges that the company violated US federal safety and operational regulations that caused or contributed to the oil spill that began in April 2010 when an explosion and fire destroyed the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 50 miles from the Mississippi River Delta.
According to the lawsuit, BP failed to take necessary precautions to keep the Macondo Well under control in the period leading up to the explosion, and failed to use the safest drilling technology to monitor the well’s conditions.
What’s more, it is also claimed that BP did not maintain continuous surveillance of the well and failed to use and maintain equipment that was available and necessary to ensure the safety and protection of personnel, equipment, natural resources and the environment.
The complaint alleges that these violations caused or contributed to the massive oil spill and that BP, as well as a number of other companies with which it worked, are responsible for removal costs and damages.
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