Appeals court reaffirms BP is liable for federal Clean Water Act damages in Gulf oil spill

A federal appeals court panel has re-affirmed its ruling that BP is liable for federal Clean Water Act damages stemming from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments that there were errors in its June 4 ruling.

BP and its minority partner in the Macondo well, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., have a request pending for the full 15-member court to reconsider the issue.

The June order upheld a district judge's ruling holding the well owners liable.

BP and Anadarko had argued they were not liable because equipment failure on the leased rig Deepwater Horizon caused the spill.

An explosion in April 2010 on the rig killed 11 workers and set off the nation's worst offshore oil disaster.