Attorney General Eric Holder last Tuesday said the government is conducting criminal and civil investigations into the spewing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, which is now moving into its seventh week.

The “foremost goal of the entire government is stopping the leak, containing and cleaning up the oil and helping the people in this region get back on their feet and return to their normal lives. But as we have said all along, we must also ensure that anyone found responsible for this spill is held accountable. That means enforcing the appropriate civil — and if warranted, criminal — authorities to the full extent of the law,” Holder said in a news conference in New Orleans.

He declined to say who might be targeted in the probes. The spill began after the April 20 explosion abroad the Deepwater Horizon rig, which was leased by BP plc from Transocean Ltd. (see NGI, April 26).

“There is one thing I will not let be forgotten in this incident: In addition to the extensive costs being borne by our environment and by communities along the Gulf Coast, the initial explosion and fire also took the live of 11 rig workers…As we examine the causes of the explosion and subsequent spill, I want to assure the American people that we will not forget the price those workers paid,” he said.

Holder was in Louisiana to survey the damage caused by the spill — the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history — and to meet with attorneys general and U.S. attorneys for states and districts whose coast lines and citizens have been impacted by the spill.

Department of Justice attorneys are reviewing potential violations of the Clean Water Act, which carries civil penalties and fines as well as criminal penalties; the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which can be used to hold parties liable for cleanup costs and reimbursement for government efforts; the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Endangered Species Act, which provide penalties for injury and death to wildlife and bird species; and other traditional criminal statutes, he noted.

“If we find evidence of illegal behavior, we will be forceful in our response. We have already instructed all relevant parties to preserve any documents that may shed light on the facts surrounding this disaster. As our review expands in the days ahead, we will be meticulous, we will be comprehensive and we will be aggressive. We will not rest until justice is done,” Holder said.

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