BP sues US government for oil spill papers

2012-04-02

Oil company BP has accused the US government of withholding oil spill evidence.

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BP has said the evidence may show the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was not as serious as had been claimed by US officials.

The US government is suing BP over the 20 April 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Federal officials claimed large damages over the largest US offshore crude oil spill.

BP has said a reduction in the estimate of the size of the spill would lower fines that BP will have to pay under the US Clean Water Act.

At the moment, the sum has been estimated to be as high as $17.6 billion.

BP has filed papers with the US District Court in New Orleans asking for more than 10,000 documents collated by the US government.

The oil company has claimed the government is refusing to turn over papers relating to flow rate issues from the ruptured pipe.

Source: The Africa News.Net