Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DOJ) filed papers in federal court in New Orleans blaming BP for the Gulf oil spill, describing the spill as an example of "gross negligence and willful misconduct." In their statement the DOJ said that some of BP's arguments were "plainly misleading" and that the court should ignore BP's argument that the Gulf region is "undergoing a robust recovery". BP rejected the charges saying "BP believes it was not grossly negligent and looks forward to presenting evidence on this issue at trial in January." The DOJ also said Transocean, the owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon rig, was guilty
Volume and extent of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill collected before it could enter the Gulf waters. In its permit to drill the well, BP estimated the worst-case flow at . Immediately after the explosion the USCG did not estimate any oil leaking from the sunken rig or from the well. On 24 April, USCG Rear Admiral Mary Landry announced that a damaged wellhead was indeed leaking. She stated that "the leak was a new discovery but could have begun when the offshore platform sank . . . two days after the initial explosion." Initial estimates by USCG and BP officials, based on remotely operated vehicles as well as