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Florida Oil Spill Lawsuit News May 4, 2010

By Rick Kuykendall

From Kuykendall and Associates, 2013 1st Avenue North Birmingham, AL 35203-4140, (205) 252-6127:

 

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday it is "within the realm of possibility" that the state will sue BP PLC over any damage the Gulf oil spill causes.

Crist made the comment after meeting with workers at the Escambia County emergency operations center. He said a decision would come soon. BP announced Tuesday that it was giving the state an initial $25 million to cover costs its incurred preparing for the oil's arrival.

Crist said that while it remains unclear when the spill might reach Florida or what its affect would be, the state needs to be prepared. The state Department of Environmental Protection says no landfall is expected in Florida through Thursday. The department is taking air and water samples and about 20 miles of boom has been laid off the Panhandle coast to protect environmentally sensitive areas.

Crist has declared a state of emergency in 19 counties from Escambia in the Panhandle to Sarasota in southwest Florida.

"The last thing we want to be criticized for is not doing enough," Crist said. "I always prefer to be criticized for doing too much."

Crist then flew over the slick and said it seemed much bigger than it had when he flew over it Thursday. He then went into a meeting with emergency officials in Mobile, Ala.

Crist said that though the Panhandle would likely see the first effects from the spill, the entire state should be prepared. He pointed out that in a worst-case scenario, currents could carry the oil down the state's Gulf coast, through the Keys and then up the Atlantic coast.

"I don't want to be an alarmist, but I want to be a realist. And I just think we all need to be prepared to do whatever we can to protect our state. It's precious," Crist said.

The spill began April 20 when a drilling rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 workers. It has been spewing up to 200,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf with little to no relief expected for at least another week. The spill now covers thousands of square miles.

The state's fishing industry has already been damaged — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sunday shut down commercial and recreational fishing from Louisiana to parts of the Florida Panhandle, saying the closure would last for at least 10 days. The ban could be expanded as the spill spreads.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/breaking/florida-gov-crist-lawsuit-against-bp-plc-over-oil-spill-within-the-realm-of-possibility-92810294.html

Full post as published by Trial Lawyer Resource Center on May 04, 2010 (boomark / email).