BP could face massive fines under Clean Water Act

WASHINGTON — If the Obama administration is serious about holding BP and others responsible for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, it can start with the federal Clean Water Act, which could allow the federal government to collect as much as $4.7 billion in civil fines just for the oil that's spilled so far.

Even if the courts allow the fines, however, there are no guarantees that the money would go to the cleanup and economic recovery of the Gulf Coast, according to legal experts.

Though other laws could come into play, the Clean Water Act may provide the best avenue for legal action. After the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, the law was beefed up to include harsh civil and criminal penalties for oil spills.

Since 1985, one general discharge permit has covered all offshore oil operations in the Gulf; individual site-by-site discharge permits aren't issued. A company that wants to operate in the Gulf applies for coverage under the general permit.

The permit covers everything from drilling fluids to bilge water, but there are only passing references to oil discharges such as those in a spill. The permit bars the discharge of "free oil," but its emphasis is on other pollutants.

Even so, the permit could become the underpinning for lawsuits because, among other things, it bars discharges of benzene, naphthalene, arsenic, mercury and other toxic chemicals that could be found in the crude oil.

In addition, the permit discourages the use of dispersants because they can "disperse and emulsify oil, thereby increasing the toxicity." BP already has used thousands of gallons of dispersants.

"Failure to comply with the permit is a violation of the Clean Water Act," said Tracy Hester, the director of the University of Houston's Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Center. "It would be the foundation of any enforcement action. There are tons of lawyers looking at this."

Attorney General Eric Holder visited the Gulf Coast last week and said the Obama administration was prepared to pursue legal action — civil and criminal — against those responsible for the spill.

Environmental groups want to keep the pressure on Holder to act. They've notified BP that they intend to file several lawsuits under the Clean Water Act, which allows citizen lawsuits and requires 60 days' notice of the intent to sue.

In a certified letter to Andrew Inglis, the chief executive of BP Exploration and Production, three environmental groups charged that the company violated the discharge permit.