Ruling Underscores DOJ Bid To Use Pollution Laws To Address Accidents

A federal court has rejected efforts by an oil and gas construction company to dismiss Clean Water Act (CWA) charges brought by federal regulators as a result of an industrial accident on an offshore rig, underscoring Justice Department efforts to use pollution control laws to bolster workplace safety enforcement. Judge Jane Triche Milazzo of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana ruled April 14 in USA v. Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, L.L.C. et al to...