This week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced criminal as well as civil investigations.
ERIC HOLDER: "The Department of Justice will insure the American people do not foot the bill for this disaster and that our laws will be enforced as much as possible."
By some estimates, the cost of the cleanup could reach thirty-seven billion dollars.
The owner of the rig, Swiss company Transocean, has asked to have its responsibility limited to twenty-seven million dollars. The request is based on a law from eighteen fifty-one. But the Justice Department says that is not enough.
The government could also use violations of other federal laws such as the Clean Water Act to collect money for the spill.
Oil has already reached more than one hundred kilometers of coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. And it threatens the west coast of Florida.
Areas of the Gulf have been closed to fishing. But job losses in the fishing industry are not the only worry. The Atlantic hurricane season officially began Tuesday. Some people worry that officials could take their land if it becomes polluted by oil in a storm.
ONE RESIDENT: "If it gets on land, will they make us leave?”
ANOTHER RESIDENT: "If we have a hurricane and the oil washes over the land, they will condemn it. We’ll lose our homes, we’ll lose everything."
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25