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Four years after the disastrous Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and two years after
the EPA ruled British Petroleum had not fully corrected problems with its oil drilling,
BP is now allowed to resume operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
ANCHOR: "The company reached an agreement with the EPA yesterday. In 2012, the company
pleaded guilty to charges surrounding the deadly oil spill." (Via CBS)
ANCHOR: "It was just four years ago that the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded killing
11 workers. Millions of gallons of oil was spilled contaminating hundreds of miles of
coastline." (Via NBC)
Deepwater Horizon's explosion and sinking is considered the largest offshore oil spill
in U.S. history. An oil gusher on the sea floor sent millions of barrels of oil into
the sea over the course of nearly three months in 2010.
The decision to welcome BP back to the Gulf of Mexico was sure to evoke emotions from
those devastated by the oil spill on the coastline. (Via CNN)
The environmental impact was obvious in 2010, but experts say cleanup is still not complete
with oil continuing to wash ashore, especially during storms. (Via YouTube / Environmental
Defense Fund)
A spokesman for the Gulf Restoration Network told The New York Times, "They still haven't
really made it right when it comes to the gulf."
But the Times also talked to an oil analyst who called this a moral victory for the lawsuit-laden
oil producer. "It will be the best news BP has gotten since the accident. BP has to get
back into the hunt in order for them to score."
BP was not without some political help in getting its drilling rights back.
In early December, the British government made the unusual step of filing a brief in
U.S. federal court calling the EPA's driling ban excessive. The Washington Post reports
the government has a special interest in the case since it affects British jobs and pension
funds.
Under this new agreement, BP could begin bidding for new drilling leases in the Gulf as early
as Wednesday. That's the same day Politico reports the Interior Department is scheduled
to hold a lease sale for 40 million acres.