Maritime Accident News

Deepwater Horizon companies facing likely criminal probe

Legal analysts predict the Obama Administration to open a criminal investigation of the companies involved in the Gulf oil disaster. It is probable that such action will only be taken after BP manages to secure the runaway Deepwater Horizon well which is still gushing tens of thousands of barrels of oil per day. The Justice Department may file charges for violations of the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act along with failure to follow drilling regulations. Federal prosecutors will likely move cautiously in building their case in order to weigh potential federal complicity in the accident due to a lack of government oversight into drilling which could have contributed to lax operations. Companies subject to criminal and civil action include BP PLC, Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron.

Source: Yahoo News

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