Attorney General Eric Holder, during a visit to the Gulf today, announced that civil and criminal investigations about the spill are under way. Prosecutors are examining thousands of pages of e-mails, repair logs and other documents to see whether oil giant BP and its contractors have willfully violated federal safety regulations.
“If it turns out to have been misleading conduct, false statements, concealment or withholding of information, then there’s a whole laundry list of other charges that could materialize,” said David Uhlmann, former head of the Justice Department’s environmental crimes section.
During the announcement, Holder said prosecutors will be focus on violations pertaining to the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, Migratory Bird Treaty, and the Endangered Species Act.
President Obama has asked Congress for $10 million to finance the investigations.
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Continue reading AOL: Civil and criminal investigations on Gulf spill are being pursued
Documents show that the Minerals Management Service (MMS), the federal agency responsible for regulating offshore oil drilling, repeatedly ignored warnings from government scientists regarding environmental risks as it pushed to quickly approve energy exploration activities. MMS officials receive cash bonuses for meeting federal deadlines on leasing offshore oil and gas exploration.
At least seven new permits for various types of drilling and five environmental waivers have been granted since President Obama announced a moratorium on the issuance of new drilling permits for offshore oil wells and put an end to the controversial type of environmental waiver that was given to the Deepwater Horizon rig.
