A worker shovels oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off Fourchon Beach in Port Fourchon, La., in May 2010. The Justice Department vowed Wednesday to prove BP engaged in gross negligence or willful misconduct leading up to the deadly rig explosion and spill in 2010. (AP Photo)

Feds vow to prove gross negligence by BP

the associated press

First Published Sep 05 2012 02:02 pm • Last Updated Sep 05 2012 02:02 pm

New Orleans • The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to ignore arguments by BP that the Gulf Coast’s natural resources are making a "robust recovery" from the company’s massive oil spill.

In a strongly worded court filing Friday, government lawyers also renewed their vow to prove BP engaged in gross negligence or willful misconduct leading up to the deadly rig explosion in 2010 that killed 11 workers and spawned the nation’s worst offshore oil spill. BP could be liable for billions of dollars in fines if U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier sides with the government.

The memo’s strong language is a sign that BP and the Justice Department aren’t close to a settlement to resolve the federal government’s claims against the oil giant before a trial scheduled for next year.

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