U.S. May File More Charges Related to Oil Spill, Official Says
The U.S. Justice Department may file more charges against companies that allegedly caused last year’s oil spill, the largest in the nation’s history, an agency official said.
“We might file additional charges against named companies or we might file charges against additional companies,” Ignacia Moreno, head of the department’s environment and natural resources division, told reporters in Washington. “No inference should be drawn from whether a company was or wasn’t named” in the original lawsuit.
Moreno declined to identify the companies that might be targeted by additional charges, citing the continuing investigations.
Last month the Obama administration sued units of BP Plc and four other companies over allegations they violated environmental laws in relation to the oil spill caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in April.
The lawsuit seeks damages under the Clean Water Act and a declaration that four of the defendants are liable under the Oil Pollution Act for all removal costs and damages caused by the oil spill, including damages to the environment, according to a Justice Department statement. The lawsuit doesn’t ask for a specified amount of damages.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Bliss in Washington jbliss@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva in Washington at msilva34@bloomberg.net
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