The Justice Department is dispatching two of its top lawyers to New Orleans to meet with FBI agents and U.S. Attorney offices about the recent British Petroleum oil spill.
In a release issued Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder said that Ignacia Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Tony West, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, will lead a team of DOJ lawyers.
On April 20, a British Petroleum oil rig exploded, killing 11 workers and spilling thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill is expected to reach the coast of New Orleans today.
“The British Petroleum oil spill has already cost lives and created a major environmental incident,” Holder said. “The Justice Department stands ready to make available every resource at our disposal to vigorously enforce the laws that protect the people who work and reside near the Gulf, the wildlife, the environment and the American taxpayers.”
Read the full news release here.
