U.S. expected to file Gulf oil spill civil case. BP Starts ‘Fishing’ for Drill Pipe at Gulf Spill Site. BP lawyers challenge government's size estimate of Gulf of Mexico oil spill. BP lawyers have said that government estimates of the size of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are too big, perhaps by as much as 20 to 50 percent, signaling a dispute that will determine how many billions of dollars of fines BP will have to pay under the Clean Water Act. The BP attorneys made their comments in an Oct. 21 meeting with staff members of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, Priya Aiyar, one of the commission lawyers, revealed at a hearing Friday. The oil giant, in a paper submitted to the presidential oil spill commission, also took issue with one of its draft reports. BP said that the assertion that "a consensus is emerging that roughly 5 million barrels of oil were released by the Macondo well is both premature and inaccurate.
" Penalties for spilling oil start at $1,100 a barrel and can rise to $4,300 if negligence is proved. Rep. Edward J. NOAA closes some Gulf shrimping after tar balls found. BP, firms missed key errors before spill. BP's Legacy: 6 Months After the Spill, Fishermen Still Struggle - Dave Thier - Food. Chris Graythen/Getty Images Six months after the oil spill began, Southern Louisiana looks fine. The sun is out, the oppressive summer humidity is starting to roll away, and fishermen in the Bayou are hunting redfish, trout, and black drum.
The last signs of the geyser of crude that gushed into the Gulf of Mexico for three months are the occasional sheen in open water, a few dead patches of grass on the edges of Bay Jimmy, and caravans of "Vessels of Opportunity" scouring the Gulf for signs of oil and a generous check from BP. People are having a hard time believing it. Every time, the tests come back negative. "You had reports of dead zones, and fish kills, and I know they blamin' it on river water," says Douglas Lafont, a shrimper from Lafourche Parish who, like most shrimpers, worked cleanup for BP. Some oyster beds suffered 50 percent mortality from the fresh water that officials let out to push the oil out of the marshes. I asked Lafont the last time things were "normal. " BP Says Curb on Drilling Would Imperil Payouts. Large fish kill found at mouth of Mississippi River Gulf outlet.
By the CNN Wire Staff August 23, 2010 5:43 p.m. EDT Thousands of dead fish and other marine life discovered, says local official Species include crabs, stingrays and many others Officials are still working to determine the cause (CNN) -- Thousands of dead fish and other marine life have been found at the mouth of the Mississippi River outlet into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the president of St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana. "I'm talking about 5,000 to 15,000 dead fish," Craig Taffaro said of the Sunday discovery. Dead species included crabs, sting rays and a variety of fish. According to Taffaro, there is some "recoverable oil" in the area but there also have been "oxygen issues," so officials don't know yet if the fish kill is related to the BP oil spill. Taffaro said the discovery underscores the need "to continue to monitor our waters. "