US takes BP to court over Alaska crude spills

Washington: The US government has filed a civil complaint against BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc (BPXA) alleging that the Alaska-based company violated US clean air and water laws, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.

The complaint, filed in US District Court in Anchorage, accuses BPXA of illegally discharging more than 200,000 gallons of crude oil from its pipelines in Prudhoe Bay onto the North Slope of Alaska during two major oil spills in the spring and summer of 2006.

The complaint also alleges that BPXA failed to prepare and implement adequate spill prevention measures required under the Clean Water Act.

"We have taken significant steps to ensure that our operations are safe and reliable, and protect the environment," said BPXA spokesman Steve Rinehart.

BPXA is a wholly owned subsidiary of BP America, a unit of London-based BP.

The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Department on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation, asks the court to order BPXA to take appropriate action to prevent spills in the future.

The government is also seeking the highest amount of civil penalties possible by law, the Justice Department said.

The biggest oil spill-related civil penalty in Alaska to date was the $900-million settlement (Dh3,305 million) struck by Exxon Corp, now part of oil giant ExxonMobil Corp and the US and Alaska governments in 1991 for the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, the nation's worst tanker spill.