3 environmental groups sue BP over gulf oil spill [View All]

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Source: LA Times

The suit alleges that the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster caused an oil spill that harmed and killed both endangered and threatened species, which may continue to feel the effects long after the cleanup.

Three environmental advocacy groups sued BP on Wednesday, alleging the company's Gulf of Mexico oil spill harmed and killed both endangered and threatened species — one of hundreds of civil suits the oil giant will probably be fighting for years.

The suit, brought by the nonprofit groups Defenders of Wildlife, Gulf Restoration Network and the Save the Manatee Club, says that the April 20 Deepwater Horizon rig blowout and the resulting oil spill "have caused and will continue to cause the take of endangered and threatened species," including whales, manatees, birds and sea turtles that "show no avoidance response to oil slicks."

"Our concern is that the impact on threatened and endangered species is going to continue for a long time after the oil spill is in the news," said Gregory Buppert, a Defenders of Wildlife attorney. The lawsuit, brought under the Endangered Species Act, will "make BP accountable for the ongoing impacts," he said.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bp-lawsuit-20101021,0,4632460.story