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• Blast victims' relatives weigh in on BP plea deal

  January 16, 2013 10:17 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Relatives of workers killed in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion are sharing their stories with the judge who will decide whether to accept a plea deal that calls for BP PLC to pay a record $4.5 billion in penalties for the 2010 disaster. Wednesday is the deadline... more »

• La. buys wetlands with oil spill settlement funds

  January 8, 2013 10:28 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The state has acquired more than 11,000 acres of wetlands in Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes as part of a conservation project funded by a settlement over the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana said Monday that the $6.7 million purchase of the... more »

• La. to see millions from Transocean settlement

  January 3, 2013 3:47 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana lawmakers trumpeted the fact that the state will see hundreds of millions of dollars as part of the federal government's $1.4 billion settlement with Transocean today over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The final terms of the settlement require Transocean, which owned the drilling rig... more »

• Source of persistent Gulf sheen remains a mystery

  December 18, 2012 4:19 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Officials say underwater inspections at the site of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig disaster have failed to identify the source of a persistent sheen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard said Tuesday that the recent inspections confirmed BP's Macondo well, which blew out... more »

• New judge assigned to case against BP supervisors

  December 5, 2012 3:07 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A new judge has been assigned to the case against two BP supervisors charged in the deaths of 11 workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in 2010. The case had been assigned to U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle, who disclosed last month that his wife owns... more »

• BP official appeals medical exam order

  December 5, 2012 11:31 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A BP PLC employee has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge's ruling that he must submit to a medical exam to determine whether he is fit to be questioned under oath in civil litigation spawned by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. A three-judge panel of... more »

• 3 BP employees arraigned on Gulf oil spill charges

  November 28, 2012 3:44 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Two BP rig supervisors and a former BP executive have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in the deadly Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and the company's response to the massive 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine and... more »

• Old oil washes up in La. after Hurricane Isaac

  September 5, 2012 8:18 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - Old oil has washed up on some Louisiana beaches after Hurricane Isaac and officials are testing whether it's left over from BP's Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010. Officials late Tuesday restricted fishing in waters extending a mile off a roughly 13-mile stretch of coastline. The... more »

• BP reaches settlement with maker of failed preventer

  December 16, 2011 6:40 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - BP will receive $250 million from the maker of the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from spewing out of BP's fractured well in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Associated Press. Under the agreement announced Friday, BP and Cameron International Corp. will drop all... more »

• Judge orders action on 6 deepwater permits

  May 10, 2011 5:23 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has given the Obama administration 30 days to act on six permits for deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman issued the order Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by Ensco Offshore Co. and others. He rejected Interior Department... more »

• AP: Experts fear another oil disaster

  April 14, 2011 3:46 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - With everything Big Oil and the government have learned in the year since the Gulf of Mexico disaster, could it happen again? Absolutely. An Associated Press examination of the industry and interviews with experts on the perils of deep-sea drilling show there are still serious... more »

• Shell moves closer on new drilling plans for Gulf

  March 21, 2011 4:09 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Federal regulators have put oil giant Shell one step closer to final approval to drill three new exploratory deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the project 130 miles off the Louisiana coast meets strict safety and environmental requirements. Shell... more »

• Interior action ordered on two more drilling permits

  March 1, 2011 6:50 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - The federal judge who overturned the Obama administration's moratorium on deepwater drilling after the Gulf oil spill ordered federal regulators on Tuesday to act on two more drilling permit applications. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman ruled last month that the Interior Department must act within 30... more »

• U.S. approves first deepwater well in Gulf

  February 28, 2011 3:15 PM

  NEW YORK- The U.S. has approved the first deep-water drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since last year's massive oil spill. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement says the permit is to continue work on a well about 70 miles southeast of Venice, La. ... more »

• Judge asked to intervene in BP claims process

  February 1, 2011 4:48 PM

  BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s governor and attorney general want a judge to step in and oversee communications between people claiming a portion of BP’s oil spill compensation fund and the fund’s administrator, Ken Feinberg. Attorney General Buddy Caldwell filed the motion in federal court in New Orleans today. It asks... more »

• Judge defends spill decision that miffed AG Caldwell

  January 28, 2011 11:09 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge is defending his decision to appoint Alabama's newly elected attorney general to coordinate all states' interests in the litigation spawned by the Deepwater Horizon explosion that led to the Gulf oil spill. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said in court Friday that his appointment... more »

• Security zone put in place around Deepwater Horizon

  October 27, 2010 3:35 PM

  Federal authorities have ordered a security zone be created around the Deepwater Horizon’s wreckage in order to protect any evidence that may still be near the blown well. The zone extends 750 feet in all directions from the wreckage site and its debris field, and companies that could enter the... more »

• Judge eyes 2011 for first oil spill trial

  October 15, 2010 12:11 PM

  The first federal trial for claims filed against BP PLC by individuals and businesses affected by the massive Gulf Coast oil spill could be held next summer. The judge presiding over more than 300 lawsuits spawned by the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion said Friday that the first "test trial" for... more »

• Technician challenges BP's claims on key devices

  October 7, 2010 2:14 PM

  A technician is challenging BP's claim about how long it would have taken to install an additional number of a key device the oil giant had been warned was essential to prevent a significant gas flow problem in its well that later blew out. Centralizers make sure the casing is... more »

• White House says it didn't withhold oil spill info

  October 7, 2010 10:42 AM

  The White House is pushing back against accusations that the administration blocked government scientists from telling the public just how bad the BP oil spill could become. Press secretary Robert Gibbs says the White House never tried to withhold "the most accurate and timely information" on the amount of oil... more »

• Panel: Government held back oil spill worst-case scenario

  October 6, 2010 11:53 AM

  The White House blocked efforts by federal scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could have been. That finding comes from a panel appointed by President Barack Obama to investigate the worst offshore oil spill in history. In documents released Wednesday, the national oil spill... more »

• Government reopens more Gulf waters to fishing

  October 5, 2010 2:58 PM

  Another portion of the Gulf of Mexico has been reopened to commercial and recreational fishing after federal scientists found no oil contamination to bar consumption of seafood. The 2,927 square-mile area is located off eastern Louisiana, about 40 miles south of the BP well that spewed more than 200 million... more »

• Judge asked to postpone trial for Gulf spill cases

  October 2, 2010 10:06 AM

  Some of the companies sued over the massive Gulf oil spill are asking a federal judge to postpone a trial designed to assign percentages of fault in the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon drilling project. A court filing Friday by Halliburton Energy Services, Cameron International and other companies says they need more... more »

• Panel to weigh in early on drilling moratorium

  September 27, 2010 2:29 PM

  The government agency in charge of offshore drilling will weigh in ahead of schedule on whether a ban on new deepwater wells should be lifted. The chief of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Michael Bromwich, told an investigative panel Monday that he is a month ahead of schedule in... more »

• Study: feds finally got oil spill amount right

  September 23, 2010 2:01 PM

  An independent study has found that the federal government accurately estimated how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon spill. The study by two Columbia University researchers found that almost 185 million gallons of oil spilled from the BP well which blew out this summer.... more »

• Cement starts flowing to plug BP well for good

  September 17, 2010 2:35 PM

  Oil giant BP says crews have begun pumping cement to permanently seal the company's blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico. A spokesman said Friday there no longer is a need to use mud in tandem with the cement because pressure from the well isn't an issue. BP expects the... more »

• Lt. Governor asks for more money from BP to fix state's image

  September 15, 2010 5:01 PM

  Louisiana’s lieutenant governor has sent a letter to BP asking them for $75 million to help pay for tourism recovery. Scott Angelle’s office put out a press release Wednesday that said a recent perception study showed the state is still dealing with a “negative national perception” after the Deepwater Horizon... more »

• Microbes munch oil, haven't robbed Gulf of oxygen

  September 7, 2010 1:24 PM

  A new federal report says microbes that are gobbling up oil from the BP spill haven't caused problems with oxygen loss in the Gulf of Mexico. Federal officials say some underwater oxygen levels have fallen by 20 percent, but the levels aren't low enough to create 'dead zones.' They say... more »

• US won't say if BP blowout preventer on way to shore

  September 6, 2010 4:07 PM

  The Justice Department won't say if the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from gushing from BP's undersea well into the Gulf of Mexico is on its way to shore. Spokeswoman Hannah August declined comment Monday. The 50-foot, 300-ton device, which was lifted to the surface Saturday, is expected... more »

• Firm chosen to process fund applications

  August 27, 2010 4:53 AM

  A Covington company has been hired to process applications for money from a $100 million fund set up by BP to help oil rig workers idled by a federal moratorium on new deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The Louisiana charity running the program, the Gulf Coast Restoration and... more »

• Experts: Drilling ban worked, may not be needed

  August 26, 2010 5:15 PM

  An expert panel says a ban on deepwater drilling imposed by the Obama administration has been effective but may no longer be needed now that the oil industry and the government appear to have developed new, safer drilling regimes. The report by the Bipartisan Policy Center is likely to boost... more »

• Former offshore drilling chief expresses regret

  August 25, 2010 2:17 PM

  The head of the agency overseeing offshore drilling at the time of the BP oil spill says she deeply regrets that the accident occurred when she was in charge. The comments Wednesday at a hearing of the presidential commission investigating the spill are the first from Elizabeth Birnbaum since she... more »

• LA Treasurer says "chuckleheads" to blame for Gulf spill

  August 25, 2010 1:27 PM

  Louisiana Treasurer John Kennedy told Bloomberg Television today that human error was what caused the explosion and oil spill at the Deepwater Horizon, even calling people on the rig "chuckleheads”. Kennedy, a Republican, has urged the Obama administration to lift its moratorium on deep-water drilling after the explosion and spill,... more »

• Officials demonstrate oil snare sentinels at Lake Pontchartrain

  August 20, 2010 11:29 AM

  Officials and researchers are on Lake Pontchartrain today demonstrating a system that will monitor for any incoming oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. The "snare sentinel" program suspends a string of pom-poms by a buoy to catch oil beneath the water's surface. News 2's... more »

• Lt. Gov.: Ban an attempt to change energy policy

  August 18, 2010 8:13 AM

  Louisiana's lieutenant governor says President Barack Obama's continued moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is an attempt to move the United States toward alternative energy at a high economic cost to the state. During a hearing before the state's two U.S. senators, Republican David Vitter and Democrat... more »

• Gulf Oil Spill-Moratorium Fund

  August 2, 2010 11:14 AM

  An estimated 9,000 people could be eligible for grants from a $100 million fund to help struggling oil rig workers that are idle because of the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf. Applications will be accepted from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30 from rig workers who are... more »

• BP establishes $100 million fund through Baton Rouge foundation

  July 30, 2010 9:08 AM

  BP today announced the company will establish a $100 million fund to help unemployed rig workers experiencing economic hardship as a result of the moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by the United States federal government. The Rig Worker Assistance Fund will be administered through the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection... more »

• Appeals court to hear drilling moratorium case

  July 8, 2010 5:37 AM

  A federal appeals court is set to hear the Justice Department's bid to delay a judge's decision to overturn a six-month deepwater drilling moratorium. The Interior Department said it halted any new permits for deepwater projects and suspended drilling on 33 exploratory wells to protect the Gulf of Mexico from... more »

• Fed. authorities ask appeals court to reinstate moratorium

  July 7, 2010 10:58 AM

  The federal government is challenging a federal judge's finding that the Interior Department did not offer clear reasons for the six month moratorium on deepwater drilling. Federal authorities filed the lawsuit yesterday in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Hornbeck Offshore, an oil field service company, filed a... more »

• Transocean criticizes Obama's drilling halt

  June 22, 2010 6:35 AM

  The owner of the sunken Deepwater Horizon rig has criticized the U.S. government's six-month ban on deepwater drilling in the area. Transocean Ltd. president Steven Newman said on the sidelines of an oil conference in London there were things President Barack Obama's administration "could implement today that would allow the... more »

• Family affected by drilling moratorium

  June 21, 2010 10:55 AM

  Members of one family in Cutoff, La. say their lives have been negatively impacted by President Obama's moratorium on deepwater drilling. Many state and local leaders fear the six month ban may change an entire way of life. However, President Obama says he is not lifting the ban until... more »

• Judge to hear challenge of deepwater moratorium

  June 21, 2010 5:20 AM

  Companies that ferry people and supplies to rigs in the Gulf of Mexico will challenge President Barack Obama's six-month moratorium on deepwater petroleum drilling today. U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman is scheduled to hear Hornbeck Offshore Services' bid for an order to lift the moratorium. The Covington-based company claims... more »

• Pres. of LA Oil and Gas Assoc. against drilling moratorium

  June 16, 2010 4:53 PM

  President Obama announced a $100 million dollar fund for unemployed oil rig workers, but Louisiana Oil and Gas Association President Don Briggs says it is not enough to supplement wages after President Obama called for a moratorium on deepwater drilling. more »

• Landrieu: Drilling moratorium causes economic harm

  June 10, 2010 7:21 AM

  Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu is calling on the Obama administration to end the moratorium on deepwater drilling, saying it will cause economic hardship in the region. Speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America," Landrieu said the moratorium was issued without much economic analysis and said the deepwater rigs in the Gulf... more »

• Obama extends stop on deepwater wells

  May 27, 2010 6:08 AM

  President Barack Obama is expected to announce Thursday that a moratorium on new deepwater oil drilling permits will be continued for six months while a presidential commission investigates. Controversial lease sales off the coast of Alaska will be delayed pending the results of the commission's investigation, and lease sales planned... more »